Precious People
by peanutbutter126
Summary: Naruto's life the way it would have been if he was placed in a team with a sensei who truly cared for him and teammates that would slowly learn to accept and treasure his existence.
1. I'm A Ninja: Enter Team 8

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Chapter 1 - I'm A Ninja: Enter Team 8!**

Konoha was known worldwide for its moderately warm temperature, the climate producing bountiful harvests that villages on the side of cool, crisp days and poverty would give a limb or two for. The Hidden Leaf Village was highly recognised for its display of talented and skilled ninja. It had upheld a position of high achievement and accumulative numbers in the shinobi ranks over the years, at the same time maintaining a steady treaty with several other Hidden Villages.

In addition to those features, the fiery village seemed to attract a fair amount of tourists and guests all year round. Families that just happened to have a spare amount of fortune often chose to take to the village where no shadow remained a patch of darkness for long. As it was, there were several sites worthy of classification as tourist attractions, one being the infamous Hokage Tower, and the other the Hokage Monument, a large, intricately carved slab of stone that depicted the previous and current Hokages.

And, as today's family of tourists would soon discover, it appeared to be traditional to slather paint over the preserved stone faces, inscribing various scribbles and uncouthly remarks. All in broad daylight, too.

A businessman from mainland, a father of two young children, cleared his throat and tapped the shoulder of the chuunin shinobi that had been assigned to produce a tour of the village for the family. "Excuse me, good sir," he said, a slight tone of disapproval apparent in his deep voice.

The chuunin turned to face the man. He did well to disguise the expression of utter boredom and chagrin. If there was one thing Hatane Kiyoshi happened to label near the top of his 'List Of Idiotic Doings I Refuse To Subject Myself But Am Forced To' list, it would be leading such sightseers around the village. He had been chuunin for eight years, had been denied the opportunity to rise in rank to jounin, and, quite honestly, he was pissed off. As he laid his dulled gaze on the businessman referring he, a toughened shinobi, as a 'good sir', he had the sudden urge to teach the man exactly what a _good sir _such as Kiyoshi was capable of.

However, although forcing two senbon up the man's nostrils would certainly qualify him as the latest addition to the many attractions the village had to offer, he had the vague idea that the Hokage would not be amused. So, for the sake of his career, Kiyoshi guided the creative half of his mind back onto sensible territory.

He pasted a forcibly upturned smile on his face and beamed at the tourist, trying not to be disgusted by the older man's smooth, obviously manicured hands. These were hands that knew only how to deal with dead piles of paperwork, and not the roughened edges of kunai. "Yes, Hatane Kiyoshi at your service. How may I help you?"

The businessman seemed not to notice the sarcasm dripping from his host's honeyed tone. Instead, he frowned toward the monument and tried to find the words. "Please correct me if I am wrong, but it did not so much as hint in the brochure that such…outrageously inappropriate…acts would…" The man's face flushed to a peculiar shade of violet as his eyes slanted into slits.

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes. Trust the high and mighty to make such a big deal out of the simplest matters. "Yes?" he prompted, unable to prevent his toe from tapping on the pavement, dangerously close to the man's polished shoes. Dust lingered in the thin morning air.

The man's wife returned and she glanced at her husband with an inquiring look in her eyes, her hands suspiciously guiding her children's curious gazes away from the 'big rock thingy'. The businessman slipped his arm around his wife's slender shoulders and they shuffled backward, away from their guide.

It was about time for Kiyoshi to snap, and he did. "What?" he growled, irritated. "I doubt Hokage-sama would appreciate your disrespect toward his predecessors."

The man's lips twitched. "I suggest you see for yourself," he grumbled, turning his small family away. "Up there."

Kiyoshi glanced up at the Hokage Stone. "Nothing is out of place," he called after the tourists. "Hey, come back and-" His voice broke off as he snapped his head around to stare at the monument again. Three seconds passed, and then his eyes narrowed. He groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Oh no…not _again! _NARUTO!"

As if on cue, an obnoxiously loud "WAHOO!" filled the air, and Kiyoshi whipped around to see a blonde, blue-eyed boy breaking away from the Hokage Monument and diving down to the earth, cackling as fluorescent paint spilled in his wake.

Furiously, the chuunin whipped out his short distance communicator, but raising the alarm was unnecessary. The patrols, fortunately, were not blind. They materialised within seconds, as if they had done this many times before. And they had.

Kiyoshi dashed forward to intercept the troublemaker. "Get _back _here, Uzumaki!" he snarled, arms outstretched. "You aren't going anywhere but the Hokage's office."

"Oh shut up! Just because _you _don't have the guts!" The boy laughed, and bounded upward. Kiyoshi growled and leapt after him, grappling for the blonde in midair. He succeeded in relieving him of the buckets of paint, and as they both watched in fascination, the colourful fluid spilled over the street, splattering over the family of tourists that Kiyoshi had been leading.

Kiyoshi fell away from Naruto, hissing curses and bidding farewell to his chances of getting taken off tourist duty. Strangely, despite the torturous scrubbing down he would receive from his superiors later, he had to admit that the businessman's angry sputters were music to his ears.

Naruto laughed once more at the colour-coated family before leaping off a roof into the next street. He glanced back to see a handful of uniformed chuunin pursuing him. He even recognised some of the threatening faces. Grinning, the boy turned his head to stick his tongue out at them. He should not have gloated, he realised, when they pushed in another trickle of speed and started closing the distance between the two groups.

He skidded on the dirt road into a smaller alleyway. He dashed into an empty side street, eyes flickering from side to side as his devious mind started to put together an escape plan. It had been a pleasure earning his own fan club, but it would not suffice if his great achievement ended with him in another staring match with Old Man Hokage.

Naruto was absorbed deeply in his thoughts and focusing on the sound of his pursuers' footsteps. He jumped, literally, when a hand dropped lightly onto his shoulder. He yelped as if shocked and his feet left the ground a good three inches. He turned and stumbled back a few steps.

He found himself facing a tall woman with long, flowing dark hair and eyes that glinted crimson in the midday sunlight. Naruto found himself blinking at the woman's choice of clothing; a set of wraps that strangely resembled bandages wrapped around her upper body, a single red sleeve protruding to cover her right arm. Swallowing became somewhat difficult as his gaze flickered upward to the Konoha hitai-ate that adorned her forehead. Judging from her questionable uniform, she was not a chuunin.

Busted.

"Uh... hi..." Uzumaki Naruto was very rarely lost for words. More often than not, he was the one who forced words into the mouths of others. Yet, staring at this woman, a sense of superiority somehow radiating off her being, he found himself struggling to put together a sentence. He realised that this was anxiety, which just happened to be a foreign emotion to the blonde. Naruto had faced and dealt with chuunin multiple times, but he had yet to experience the wrath of a jounin. Iruka, in hopes of averting his troublesome student away from public defacement, regularly dropped hints that he would rather be hunted down by ten chuunin than a single jounin.

The woman paused, and then walked toward him. As she passed the boy, she tapped his shoulder. "I believe the art of disguising one's self would be suitable for a situation such as this one," she murmured, and continued on her way.

Naruto ignored the bead of sweat that had trickle down the side of his face when the woman had brushed past him. He turned, and opened his mouth to thank her for her advice, but the chuunins' steps were pounding closer. Hurriedly, he tore his curious gaze away and dived toward the fence.

"Get back here, you little devil!"

"Damn it – where'd he go?"

"Split up. I'll go this way."

"Right. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on that kid!"

Yuuhi Kurenai quietly stepped back as a pair of flustered chuunins darted by her. They had not thought at all to question her, this courtesy of the low-level genjutsu she had concealed herself with. A game of cat and mouse in which the number of felines greatly outnumbered the rodent barely seemed righteous in Kurenai's eyes.

She paused to glance back at the boy she had passed. For a moment, she wondered if she had unconsciously cast her genjutsu on a wider basis. The street was absolutely deserted, deprived of any presence she could sense. It wasn't until half a minute later, when the cause of the commotion materialised from the fence, that Kurenai realised that he had been there the entire time, skilfully concealed. An eyebrow arced up. The boy would have done well without her advice; he had the look of one who had attempted such escape tactics a great number of times.

And had been caught on a collection of occasions, from the look of it. Kurenai watched with a slightly bemused smile as an Academy instructor appeared behind the blonde boy, hands on hips and an expression torn between amusement and strictness on his face.

"NARUTO!" the man screamed in the boy's ear.

Kurenai's lips twitched as the short blonde was led away by his teacher, cupping his ear against the pain. _So…_this_ is Uzumaki Naruto_, she mused.

* * *

Umino Iruka did not know what to do with the blonde boy bound on the floor before him. Naruto… he was a handful. A bright ball of energy that refused to exhaust. The chuunin sighed and leaned over, forcing a hard glare into his eyes. "What were you doing out of class, Naruto?" he demanded, ignoring the giggles of the other students in his class, apparently amused by their classmate's behaviour.

"Painting that big rock up there," Naruto replied in a loud, boisterous voice. He struggled into a sitting position, his olive goggles slipping over one eye as he did so. "I'll be up there soon enough – just you watch! I'm gonna be the Hokage!"

"Idiot!" Iruka scolded. He raised a threatening fist. "You have your graduation exam tomorrow, and here you are playing around and stuffing up like a drunken monkey. How are you going to become the greatest ninja of the Leaf Village if you can't make it past Academy rank?"

Naruto recoiled slightly, but quickly bounced back with a retort on his tongue. "So? If I can't be a genin or a jounin or whatever, what does it matter? I'll find a way! There's no rule that says you have to be on the top of the ladder to be Hokage. See? I know my stuff!"

The boy's determination struck Iruka, as it had so many times before. Attention seeker he may be, Naruto had a hell of a lot of confidence when it came to his ambition to surpass those who looked down on him. His endless pranks were understandable; the blonde sought to be the centre of attention, to be recognised. Iruka understood that Naruto had been shunned by the majority of the village since birth, and the isolation reminded the chuunin painfully of himself. _Am I…doing this the wrong way? _he questioned himself.

"It would make your job a lot easier," Iruka said in a much softer tone.

Naruto jammed his tongue out and struggled some more against his bindings. "Doesn't mean I can't do it the hard way, does it?" he challenged. "I'm going to be Hokage no matter what – you got me? Believe it!"

The discussion was started to fade. Iruka sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, fine. But this still doesn't excuse you from skipping class. Thirty laps around the courtyard, and then you're going to scrub off whatever you did to the Hokage Stone." The chuunin knelt down to undo the rope that bound Naruto's hands to his back. As he worked with the knots, Iruka could not resist but murmur in the boy's ear, "Being Hokage is hard, Naruto. Don't you have any backup ambitions?" Later, he kicked himself for not foreseeing what came next.

"Sure I do!" Naruto boasted. He grinned and turned his head to his classmates, focusing on one in particular. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Will you go out with me? Pretty please_?_"

A breath of silence was all the peace Iruka received before a pink-haired girl wordlessly pushed her chair back and stormed down the steps. The chuunin could practically hear the death threats stirring in her mind. Given Haruno Sakura's ingenuity, he did not doubt that every single one of them promised much pain.

"Sakura, get back to your seat," Iruka said, his order falling on deaf ears as the enraged girl advanced. The chuunin winced at the amount of murderous intent that his student exuded. Despite the trouble he had caused, not even Naruto deserved to be castrated at such a young age.

Moving swiftly, he tucked a protesting Naruto under one arm, stalked to the window and tossed the boy out onto the courtyard.

"Wooaaah! Iruka-senseeeiiiii - ow!"

"Practice your Rope Escape technique," Iruka called distractedly, before snapping the window shut. "See? He's gone now, Sakura. Come on, back to your seat please."

"But Iruka-sensei!" she protested. She pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, just visible over the window sill. "He… he…" She could not even express her indignity.

Yamanaka Ino propped her elbow up on her desk, smirking. "Made fun of your big forehead? That's _normal,_ Sakura."

Iruka's face caught the bristling attack of Sakura's hair as she whipped around to glare at her rival. "Shut up, Ino-_pig!" _

"Excuse me?! Giant forehead!"

Two seats away from Ino, Nara Shikamaru grumbled and shifted his head on the pillow he had made of his arms. "How troublesome," he muttered.

Iruka could not agree more with his lazy student.

* * *

The Academy bought back fond memories of childhood and the rise to a shinobi. Especially childhood and the friendship that had accompanied such. Yuuhi Kurenai would know. Her path and achievements had stemmed from this very place, the slightly rundown clutter of buildings in the centre of the village.

She was standing on a branch of the taller trees that fringed the Academy's boundaries. It was lunchtime, and the children had spilled onto the courtyard. A couple of instructors left the main building for their own quarters, relieved that they had finally escaped the hellhole of their respective classrooms. It was the day of the graduation exam and it seemed that the students were particularly uptight about the event. And, as all Academy instructors had discovered today, excess energy – anxiety included – was usually vented out as quickly as possible in the most creative forms.

Kurenai silently gazed down at the students. There was a curious amount of talent in this generation of potential shinobi. Some of the well known clans in Konoha had chipped in their next generation; Kurenai noticed a Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi among the students, knowing that, if they made genin, they would most likely be placed on the same team. There were few students that had not come from such clans, but even then they displayed promise. Earlier that day Kurenai had stopped by to observe one of the classes, and she had seen a pink-haired girl produce an impressive description of the Summoning Jutsu, a technique that was well being an Academy student's knowledge.

Yes, Kurenai decided, quite a lot of genin would be produced with this year's 'harvest', and she knew that the chances of her being dismissed from the duty of heading a team was minimal.

The Third Hokage had already asked her the previous day to take a genin team under her wing. Kurenai did not appreciate such, preferring to work on her own, but it was rather difficult to refuse. After the genin exam, she would attend a meeting with the other selected jounin and the Academy instructors to discuss the composition of the teams. A person who did not particularly take to waiting, Kurenai had decided to make use of her time. It was profoundly difficult to work with a team that was foreign to you, and to compensate for that, she had taken it upon herself to grasp the personalities of the future genin before it came to the team selections.

The students seemed to each portray their own lifestyle and interests in their movements, even the slightest upturn of a word betraying their emotions. The only one Kurenai could recognise was the Hyuuga girl, Hinata. The girl was painfully shy, just as she had been the first time Kurenai had met her. Hyuuga Hiashi had given up on his eldest daughter and had arranged for her training to be overseen by the Academy, himself focusing his time on Hinata's younger sister, who, admittedly, displayed more promise than the older of the siblings.

Kurenai pondered on the possibility of nominating Hinata to be on her team, but then realised that it would take some convincing, the girl being a Hyuuga and therefore a great asset to whichever team she was assigned, regardless of whether or not she happened to be the failure her father accused her to be. The jounin deduced that an approximate of three teams would be dispatched from the Academy this year, and if her observations were correct, one team would be comprised of the Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi kids, their fathers having proved the combination of their clan techniques deadly effective. That left Kurenai and the remaining jounin to decide their teams, and the former found herself growing worried. It was not good odds. Being, undoubtedly, the least experienced jounin, she would receive last preference, and another's word would rule out hers. It seemed there was not much Kurenai could do for Hinata.

It took a moment for the jounin to register that a faint scent of noodles happened to be wafting toward her. The rope by her feet, bound to the branch, creaked slightly as a weight transferred onto the swing it suspended. Kurenai, absorbed in her own thoughts, was momentarily taken off guard. Instincts sorely tempted her to leap away from her perch, but she knew doing so would send a shower of leaves to announce her leave.

Kurenai subtly edged around the branch to transfer to another, gaining a better view of the boy that had effectively startled her. It was Uzumaki Naruto, the boy she had run into just the day before. He sat alone on the swings, feasting on a cup of instant ramen. He swung lightly as he ate, slurping, and Kurenai watched him.

He was a live depiction of dejection. He sat facing his classmates, yet the distance that stretched between them was wide. No one glanced twice in his direction except for the Hyuuga heir, and even then she made no apparent interest in openly approaching him. Kurenai's brow furrowed. So it was true; the container of the demon fox had no companions to speak of.

Kurenai had been a genin when the Nine-Tailed Fox had attacked her village. She had been at the site of destruction, but only to watch by the sidelines. Her sensei and a teammate had been slaughtered in the first minutes of the struggle against mankind and the demon counterpart of humanity. And all the red-eyed genin had been able to do was scream and clutch at her remaining teammate as they retreated away from the mangled bodies of their broken team.

Kurenai did not know if it was resentment or fascination that drew her toward the blonde kid on the swings. She ruled out resentment, deciding that even if it was such emotion responsible for her interest in the boy, he did not deserve such mistreatment. It was not like he'd had a say in the killings, or the fact that he was the oblivious host of Konoha's most hated demon. He was not murderous by nature or a terrible demon. He was, in comparison, friendly, attention-seeking and open to warm emotions.

It intrigued Kurenai that Naruto could still smile through the pains of his childhood. She did not know him well, but she often caught the whispers of conversation as she walked the streets of the village. As it was, the jounin had yet to hear a friendly comment regarding the boy exchanged among the villagers. Naruto was forever pranking and it seemed to have produced the results he yearned for – he drew attention, lots of it. His defacing of the Hokage Monument the day before had earned more shake of heads than Kurenai could remember.

However, the fact that the frozen faces of the revered Hokages displayed no hints of the abuse they had endured the day before when Kurenai had glanced toward it earlier that morning told her that the boy was willing to accept responsibility. It would not be the work of others; no one would assist the 'demon child'. Naruto must have stayed up in the night to scrub off his handiwork. Whether it was the order of his teacher or not, it did not matter. As far as Kurenai was concerned, the boy did not disregard his responsibility, and that was a treasured characteristic of a successful shinobi.

A drill that happened to be the Academy's bell pierced the air. Kurenai glanced around the courtyard as the students unwillingly returned to their classrooms. Naruto followed them, confidently striding toward class as if he had no care in the world, as if no genin exam was going to hold him back. She took him for his assurance and wished him good luck as he slipped into the building.

* * *

It came as a surprise to discover that Uzumaki Naruto's name was not amongst the list of graduates that the Third Hokage announced at the jounin meeting.

There were only eight graduates, one short of forming three full teams. One team would have to make do with two genin, and Kakashi had volunteered to lead that team. His only specification had been the Uchiha, an understandable development with credit to the Sharingan the renowned Copy Ninja happened to possess. The Hokage gave him his preference without question.

Kurenai happened to be adept at reading body language, a skill honed from many hours of sitting by the lake and occupying herself by analysing those that passed her. The extent at which those of her gender expressed their open generosity often appalled her, the same way such a matter had while observing the Academy students; Uchiha Sasuke appeared to have gathered his own fan club, one he reluctantly accepted but refused to acknowledge in existence. The jounin deduced by the low tone in the Third Hokage's voice and the lessened frequency at which he inhaled from his pipe that he was disturbed by an unknown factor.

However, Kurenai happened to know that the Hokage and Naruto maintained a friendly relationship. She wagered most of her confidence on the likelihood that Naruto's failure to pass the graduation exam had disappointed the old man.

Sarutobi cleared his throat to address Kakashi. "You require one more genin to complete your team, Kakashi. Which of the remaining seven do you have in mind?"

The one-eyed jounin turned the page of the little orange book he had been reading. "The Hyuuga heir."

Kurenai sighed. Predicting the outcome, she raised her objection regardless. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama, but I happen to have interest in Hyuuga Hinata as well."

The Hokage nodded in acknowledgment. "Kakashi?" he questioned.

"Please explain," the silver-haired man said in response, glancing up briefly from his book. The gaze he held with Kurenai was friendly yet chillingly demanding. She returned it coolly.

"Hinata seems to have issues with her self-esteem," she said, choosing her words carefully and drawing them out at a painfully considered pace. "To place her in a paired teamwork with one such as Uchiha Sasuke would… intimidate her."

"That doesn't really answer my question," Kakashi said lightly.

Kurenai realised now how weak her argument had come out. She silently apologised to Hinata, knowing that she could do no more for the girl.

Before she could voice her withdrawal regarding Hinata Hyuuga's team placing, a chuunin entered the room without knocking, flustered and puffing. Kurenai raised an eyebrow at the man's lack of etiquette - until the news was delivered.

"Lord Hokage! Uzumaki Naruto has stolen the Scroll of Sealing!"

Umino Iruka paled and excused himself from the meeting, rushing off to join the search. Kurenai recognised him as Naruto's Academy teacher, and deduced that the man held Naruto's existence to be of significance. She was pleased to discover that Naruto had someone who seemed to care about him, one who showed the opposite emotion to what one would display upon hearing that the boy had violated rules. From her observations, Naruto was gentle by nature. The pranks he pulled were not designed to offend or hurt in any way. It concerned Kurenai to ponder on what had provoked him to change in such a short matter of time.

She noticed that Asuma had taken advantage of the distraction to light a cigarette. "Sure we shouldn't join the search?" he said, though Kurenai suspected that his offer was half-hearted and introduced more to suggest his responsibility as a Jounin and Sandaime's son rather than _display_ it. Sarutobi Asuma did not bother himself with matters that unnecessarily crossed the boundaries to his job description.

The meeting continued as if there had been no interruption. Kakashi, his team decided, tuned out of the conversation and retreated to a corner with his annoyingly perverted books that Kurenai swore to relieve from his possession one day. Asuma had, predictably, offered to take the Ino-Shika-Cho generation. That left Kurenai with the pink-haired Haruno girl, the Inuzuka and the Aburame, to which she reluctantly agreed to.

It was well into nightfall by the time they finished off the meeting. Just as Kurenai was leaning back in her chair to stretch her stiff frame, there was another interruption, this one coming in the form of one battered Umino Iruka. He did not appear to be in the best of conditions, with several gashes across his limbs and a particularly large wound in his back. For someone as injured as he, Iruka seemed to be strangely optimistic. The Hokage got up with a faint smile and took the chuunin to one side, and the two conversed in a low voice.

Asuma groaned and reached for a new cigarette. "Can't we just get this over and done with already?"

Kurenai gave him a pointed look. "Only women need beauty sleep."

"_You're _talking," he retorted with an irritatingly convincing grin on his face.

The Third nodded and dismissed Iruka from the room. He turned back to the jounin and gave a small shrug of his shoulders, which Kurenai now noted to be a cheerful gesture. "It appears that the three of you must remain in an old man's company a while longer. We now have enough genin to compensate for three complete teams; Uzumaki Naruto has joined the ranks of the graduates."

"You said he failed," Asuma pointed out.

"Mizuki betrayed us; he convinced Naruto to steal the scroll with the lie that he would be able to graduate if he learned the techniques contained within. Naruto has indeed managed to master one of the jutsu, and he utilized it effectively to come to Iruka's aid. For this reason, Iruka graduated him."

For the first time in hours, Kakashi appeared to be interested. He did not look up from his book, but added in his voice. "Which technique would this be?" he inquired, though he had a good inkling of the response he might be receiving.

Sarutobi smiled a genuine smile that Kurenai had not seen for a long time. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. According to Iruka, Naruto produced scores of clones, filling the forest with them." The Hokage's tone dropped. "However, it appears that all forms of joy come at a price… Naruto now knows about his prisoner."

Kurenai heard a sharp intake of breath that she failed to identify. It took her a moment to realise that it had come from herself.

"Is it wise to allow him to become a ninja now that he knows?" Kakashi questioned. He was unusually solemn.

"I don't see why not," Kurenai cut in, before the Hokage could answer. She stared unblinkingly at her fellow jounin. "The boy has proven himself to be an asset to the village – why should we stunt his progress?"

Pleased to hear that someone was standing up for Naruto, the Third Hokage smiled at Kurenai and nodded in agreement. "Naruto will continue on his path to become a shinobi. Now, the matter settled, I believe Naruto should be placed under Kakashi's tutelage, given the fact that he has a vacant position available."

Kurenai found that she was not particularly satisfied with the turnout. "Hokage-sama," she said quietly. "It is in my interests to transfer Uzumaki Naruto to my own team." She whispered a silent apology to Kakashi, having clashed with him on two occasions over the team compositions. She was relieved to note that the Copy Ninja held only a bemused expression on his face; Hatake Kakashi was not one you would want to cross rocky paths with.

"Is it truly in your interests to do so?" Sarutobi asked her.

"Yes. I believe I can guide Naruto correctly." Kurenai immediately berated herself for her choice of words.

"Meaning I can't?" Kakashi asked with a slight chuckle. "Don't be mistaken," he added when Kurenai appeared to be on the verge of voicing another apology. "I don't mean that I object to your request."

Kurenai smiled to show her appreciation and said nothing else.

"Hmm," Sarutobi grumbled. He blew out a perfect ring of smoke and pensively watched it drift toward the ceiling. "Kakashi, Asuma, I am going to ask you to wait outside for a moment."

The two jounin got up and left without a word.

Kurenai found herself alone with the Third Hokage. This was a man that had been personally handpicked by his predecessors, a man that, in his prime, had shaken shinobi with the mere mention of his name. It was impossible not to feel uptight in his sole presence.

Sarutobi considered himself a rational man. Throughout his sixty years, he had made only precise decisions, ones carefully calculated and thought over sleepless nights before initiated. On the day that he had been deciding his successor, he had stayed up all night to ponder the candidates, paining himself by eliminating his own lusted student from the list and nominating another man, one who loved the village as much as Sarutobi himself did. Again, on the night Yondaime lost his life to defend the village, the old man did not receive much sleep. And now, with the Fourth's son, the container of a widely feared and powerful demon, Sarutobi had to carefully consider his options as he did each and every day.

He moved to sit down behind his desk, clasping his hands before him. Leaning forward, he regarded the young woman before him. Sarutobi believed he remembered Yuuhi Kurenai from her childhood. It must have been many years ago, and had his memory been faultier he would not have recognised this woman as the weeping child he had encountered just hours after the Kyuubi had launched its first attack on the village.

She had been so small, so fragile back then. A child who stood sobbing in the rain, drenched in blood that seeped through her clothing to her bare skin, and an unconscious teammate on her back. Sarutobi remembered relieving the young girl of her burden and enveloping her in his own arms, her face buried against his arm, crying until she exhausted both her tears and herself.

It was difficult to picture Kurenai as she currently was as her younger, seventeen year old self. Back then she had been a fresh chuunin, and now she had become a grown woman, a jounin handling her own team.

"I was under the assumption that you were intending to lead a tracking team," the ageing Hokage said. "I don't understand why you would consider Naruto an asset to a team that focuses on something he does not - and frankly, might not be able to - specialise in."

Kurenai smiled ruefully as if she knew exactly what her superior was talking about. "I would rather my team be one that is capable of handling all the fields."

"Continue."

"You may not be aware of this, Lord Hokage," Kurenai began in a soft voice that was barely a whisper, "but my chuunin team specialised in tracking. We tracked well – and those same skills led Kouta-sensei and my teammate Masuru to their deaths. We were the team that led the first wave of Konoha's forces to the demon fox. It was our team that fell first." She clenched and loosened her fist, shifting her gaze elsewhere. "I don't want my team to go through what I had to. I want to provide them with choices and opportunities."

Sarutobi's conscience did not fare off very well at the realisation that he had dug up the young woman's painful memories. "Then what do you propose?" he asked gently, offering her a kind smile.

"A team bound by no specifications, comprised of Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto." Kurenai just knew that this was not going to fly well, and she braced herself for it.

A bemused smile crinkled the Third's aged skin. "As I understand, Sakura does not seem to be very fond of Naruto."

Kurenai took care not to think of Hinata, who had displayed hidden affections toward Naruto, knowing that she was confining the girl to a powerful and unusually stoic team. "It is just a childish misunderstanding of boundaries between friendship and emotions beyond such. Kiba appears to be friendly by nature, as does his dog Akamaru; they should be able to accept Naruto. I think I can stabilize the differences between Naruto and Sakura and produce a recognisable team from these three genin." Her lips twitched. "From what I've heard, I think placing Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke together would be an even more unwise decision."

The Third was forced to put forth the final hurdle. "Yet it is tradition that the graduates with the lowest and highest marks be placed together on the same team. What do you put forward to that?"

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said, picking up the rebuttal with ease, "I'm beginning to doubt the Academy's standards if a student capable of producing scores of s_hadow clones _is still labelled the last of his graduate class. I have also witnessed his commendable skill at disguising himself. The boy may not be a prodigy, or particularly talented at that, but he does not deserve to be ranked as the lowest."

Sarutobi was beginning to wonder if Kurenai had already rehearsed her arguments beforehand. Shaking his head, he brought his withered hands together and clapped amusedly.

"Well said. Very well said." The Professor smiled. "Then I shall entrust the local prank-master to you. Consider yourself warned."

Kurenai's confidence faltered a little.

* * *

Each morning at the fifth hour, Konoha's resident cock took it upon itself to raise the village's inhabitants with a shrill cry that was commonly choked off halfway by whatever unfortunate farmer happened to discover it on its land. Still, the damage was usually done by then, and the village started to rise.

To Kiba's credit, he failed to notice the piercing note that hovered in the air. And, with a nose like his, he somehow failed to catch the scent of breakfast.

"Get off," Kiba whined, pushing his sister away and curling in a tight ball under the folds of his warm blanket. "Give me another second…"

"Kiba. _Now_." Inuzuka Hana admired her mother for her strength and her ferocity, including her effective formulas that always had Kiba scuttling out of bed in seconds. Tsume possessed a canine wildness in the way she could unremorsefully snatch her son's blankets and drag him halfway to the kitchen. It was bad luck for Hana that her mother happened to have left the premises early for a mission briefing.

"Another minute, Nee-chan," Kiba grumbled, and slapped his pillow over his head.

"No."

"You suck."

"You suck more. I thought you were officially a genin today."

He finally succumbed into opening a bleary eye. "I am," he croaked, suddenly boastful. Then he blinked. "So?"

"So?" his sister repeated. She crossed the room to the cupboard that she had just days ago cleaned out and was now resembling a garbage tip. She occupied herself with picking out Kiba's cleaner clothes. "You have less than fifteen minutes to get to the Academy for your team assignments. I doubt your team would appreciate it if you were late. Now get _up!_"

Four minutes later, when Kiba was racing down the street with his morning vegetables having trouble going down his throat, he would regret not asking his sister to borrow one of her Haimaru Sankyodai. The large dogs were fast and fun to ride; they would have spared Kiba a good five minutes of running. _If only Akamaru was that much bigger_, the boy found himself wishing. He shot a baleful glare at his dog, yipping at next door's cat as they shot past. Kiba had stumbled into the kitchen, his clothing barely addressed in a presentable manner, to discover that his dog had made off with his breakfast.

"I'm still mad at you, you know that?" he grumbled.

Akamaru yipped happily.

Kiba soon forgot about Akamaru's traitorous acts when he landed by the Academy's entrance. Judging by the instructors still lazily making their way to class, the bell had not rung yet. Grinning, Kiba flung himself through the window of his own classroom, not digging deep enough to truly bother taking the long way around.

He almost – _almost _– trod on Naruto upon landing. The other boy was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, fresh bruises flowering on his face. He also had what looked suspiciously like footprints on his clothing. Akamaru sniffed the air and scoffed out: "_Smells like someone was out to kill_." Kiba had to agreed. Judging by the lioness expressions on the female portion of the class, it must have concerned Sasuke.

"Hey man," Kiba said, leaning over to offer Naruto his hand. "What happened to you?"

Groaning, the blonde grasped the hand and let himself be hauled to his feet. He winced and nursed a black eye. "I… kissed the stuck up bum over there," he muttered, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

Kiba blinked. "Wow, Naruto. I never knew you were gay."

Unfortunately for Naruto, he happened to have said that in a voice that carried over the excited chatter around them. The class burst into immediate laughter. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he turned away to resume cleansing his mouth.

Sakura seemed to take offense from the remark. "So what – you're saying that I must be a guy if Naruto's always asking _me _out?" she scowled, daring Kiba to agree.

"Oh _Sakura_," Ino said with suspicious sympathy. "You must have been a pretty disturbed guy if you chose to be reborn with pink hair!"

Iruka announced his presence in time to catch the beginning of what would have been a dispute bordering the limits of feline ferocity. He prompted proceeded to separate the combatants and placed them in separate corners of the room, away from their beloved Sasuke-kun. The seating arrangement did little to resolve the glaring match the girls appeared to be having, the unfortunate people sitting between them began to feel a strange heat in the side of their face after a while.

Naruto seemed not to mind. His bruises had started to heal and he slammed his hand against the table without wincing. "Hurry up, Iruka-sensei!" he said eagerly. "Let's get started already!"

For the first time that morning, Kiba seemed to notice exactly who he was sitting next to. "Hey!" he shouted. Akamaru barked to compliment the surprised tone in his voice. "Naruto?! What are you doing here? You failed!"

The blonde grinned. "Did not! See?" He proudly stood and pointed at his hitai-ate so that the class could 'see'. "I stayed behind and did some extra work – I'm a ninja just like the rest of you!"

Iruka skilfully hid the smile that had started to grow on his face. "Alright, Naruto – we get it. Now sit down so I can begin."

At this, Naruto dropped into his seat and leaned forward to listen. A dreamy grin spread on his whiskered face. _Let's see…I definitely want Sakura-chan on my team… and I don't care who else I get as long as it's not Sasuke-teme._

"Before I announce the teams – and yes, Naruto, it is absolutely necessary that you understand the basis of becoming a ninja," Iruka cut in when the blonde opened his mouth in protest. "The sooner you stop interrupting the sooner I'll get this under way." He cleared his throat.

"Firstly, congratulations, all of you. You have now become ninja. Your forehead protectors mark you as a Leaf Village shinobi, and I hope that you will rise to become the best."

Naruto and Kiba gave simultaneous impatient grunts, only to be ignored by the scarred man.

"You are no longer Academy students. The kunai you use will no longer be blunt and thrown at straw dummies. You will be entitled to missions, dangerous tasks that may take your life to complete. You have volunteered your services to the village, and simply by doing so, each of you is a hero to this land." He gave them a smile, the unvoiced sadness thickening his throat.

"Your team," he continued, "will be as fundamental as the air you inhale. They will become your family. You will spend many years working with them, and there will be times when your life will depend on the actions and decisions of your teammates. You must respect, accept and protect your friends. They are your precious people."

The practiced speech continued for another few minutes, and then Iruka began to announce the teams. He changed track from the traditional announcement to team components in a matter of seconds, and the genin barely had time to get excited before the first team was pronounced. He proceeded down the list at a steady pace.

"Team Seven – Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke."

The devastated cries of "NO!" from Sakura and Ino echoed over the silence of the said team. They both proceeded to bang their heads on the desk. Hinata felt strangely apologetic to them. She glanced meekly toward Sasuke, wondering why she did not feel very privileged.

Iruka's lips twitched into a smile. "Team Eight – Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura pounded her head that much harder.

"You got the dead-last!" Ino cackled. Naruto was much too caught up in his joy to realise that he had been insulted.

Iruka's final announcement wiped the smugness off her face: "Team Ten – Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino."

"... What?! No! Who chose these teams?!" Ino looked toward Shikamaru in dismay.

Iruka sighed. He was going to miss all the ruckus. "You will have a lunch break before you meet your jounin leaders. I advise you use this time to get to know your team better. Good luck, all of you."

_Luck?_ Naruto thought as his jaw started to hurt from the amount of grinning he had been doing. _Who needs luck? _The fact that Sakura-chan had been assigned to his team, Sasuke-free, was more of a miracle than a simple case of good fortune.

By the time he emerged from his fit of joy, he realised that he was the last one left in the classroom. His teammates had left him without a word. Naruto's chest tingled with a brief, unwanted emotion. So maybe he and his teammates hadn't gotten off to the best start – so? Iruka-sensei did not seriously expect them to bond like peas immediately, did he? After they met their sensei, he would make ends meet. It was a promise to himself.

Naruto's stomach grumbled in protest. He realised now that he had only gotten away from his apartment with a carton of milk in his system. And with all the excitement of team assignments, he had forgotten to bring his usual cup of instant ramen. He groaned and slumped his way outside to the canteen. After digging out Gama-chan and discovering that he had forgotten to refill his purse with his savings, he left for one of the stone benches that lined the garden. He dropped onto the seat and moaned.

A white four legged animal trotted up to him and scratched on the leg of his pants with its front paws. Naruto blinked open an eye. "Oh. Hey, Akamaru. What're you doing here? Where's Kiba?"

The puppy waggled its tail and dropped a can of soda onto his lap.

"Eh? For me?" Naruto grinned and popped open the can. "Gee, thanks!"

"Don't gulp it all down in one go, you idiot."

"Eh?"

He looked up to see Kiba standing over him, Akamaru perched on his head. The Inuzuka boy sat down next to his new teammate and extended a hand, revealing two small tablets on his palm. "I smelt some overdue milk on you earlier. Take this if you don't want to spend the rest of lunch in the toilet."

Naruto blinked. The statement did more than inform him of the fact that he had profusely tainted his stomach with tardy fluid. It filled his being with warmth, with gratitude, which happened to be an emotion the blonde experienced only when Iruka-sensei offered to treat him to lunch or when the Old Man sneaked out of his office to play with him.

It was the gratitude of knowing that someone cared.

Kiba stared. "Hey… are you, like, crying, Naruto?"

The shorter boy wiped furiously at his eyes. "No. Just got something in my eye, that's all." He took the offered pills and popped them in his mouth, flushing it down with the fizzling soft drink. "Thanks, Kiba."

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the emotion he detected in Naruto's voice. "Hmm…I guess he _is _gay after all, Akamaru."

"Am not!" the blonde protested.

Akamaru barked: _"Usually when they don't admit something, it means it's true."_

Kiba laughed. "Yeah – I'd say you're right there, boy!" He turned and raised a hand in farewell. "I'll see you in class later, Naruto."

"Yeah…hey, who d'you think our sensei will be?"

But Kiba was already gone, leaving Naruto alone on the bench. The blonde stared as his teammate turned a corner and disappeared from his line of vision. Then he gave the can in his hand the same amount of attention.

He downed the drink in one go.

* * *

Sakura stared down at the yakitori her mother had packed for her earlier that morning. The chopsticks were held loosely in her hand, clinking together but succeeding only in stirring her meal and lessening the pink-haired girl's appetite.

It was all Ino's fault.

"_So…Sakura. How's life with that moron?"_

"_Shut up. You didn't get picked for Sasuke-kun's team either so I wouldn't be gloating if I were you."_

"_Hmph. Don't get cocky now, forehead girl. I hear Naruto did better than you in the taijutsu examination."_

"_S-So? It's only because he doesn't have parents who set curfews and yelling at you to stop training so much."_

She hadn't noticed him standing there until he stepped out of the shadows cloaking him. One look at his smooth features swooned her, but a second examination of his emotionless expression caused her smile to slip. Ino left her there, uttering a hasty greeting before fleeing the scene.

"_To be all alone… the feeling of a parent yelling at you is nowhere near what he feels."_

"_Sasuke-kun, I…it's just _Naruto _we're talking about. Why bother-"_

"_You're ignorant. And annoying."_

Yes, it was Ino's fault. It must have been a devilish scheme. Now Sasuke was mad at her and Sakura did not know what to do. She didn't even know what she'd done. She understood that Sasuke's clan and family had been murdered when he had just started his Academy years… had he related _himself _to Naruto and taken offense in Sakura's scorn?

_Am I really… ignorant?_

Sakura was glad that the bell rang then, distracting her from her thoughts. She closed the lid on her untouched bento and headed back to the classroom. With each step, she felt a little lighter, and by the time she took her seat in the room, she had resolved to forget the encounter completely.

But when she looked around and saw Naruto sitting alone by the window, it was impossible to forget. He was leaning back in his seat, with his hands behind his head. A perpetual grin was fixed on his face. Sakura found herself watching him. He annoyed her so much – just like yesterday, when he'd asked her out in front of the whole class. The boy she craved was accusing her of being ignorant, and the one she wanted to get away from was expressing his love to her. Why was everything so screwed up?

Sakura supposed she should feel flattered by the attention. If it had been anyone but Naruto, she would be gloating to Ino endlessly each day. But that person just had to be Naruto – and as she watched him, Sakura wondered what it was about him that irritated her so much. So he had no parents; neither did Sasuke and he was still irresistibly desirable. Did he set her off simply by being Naruto?

She speculated in silence. Naruto often fooled around – perhaps if he matured and decided to learn the words 'grow up' he would be just like all the other males Sakura happened to fantasize about; tall, strong… normal. In that instant, the pink-haired girl realised that, all along, she had maintained the unconscious impression that there was something about Naruto that just did not fit under the usual 'ordinary'. She found herself peering curiously at him, trying to see under the laughing face.

Unfortunately, she couldn't look away fast enough when Naruto decided to turn toward her. "Sakura-chan!" He invited himself to the vacant seat next to hers, and Sakura groaned. "Isn't it cool that we're in a team together?" he asked with a wide grin.

Whatever curiosity she might have held toward him vanished on the spot. "No, it's not" she snapped, as Iruka poked his head into the room and called for Team Ten. "You're annoying and you're a complete idiot. I don't…" She sighed. "I don't understand how you made genin." And even though her conscience warned her against it, she added, "It might have been better if you failed; at least then I might have a chance to be on Sasuke-kun's team."

His face fell so quickly that she wondered if she truly had wounded him.

It seemed that she had. Naruto gave her a weak chuckle and sauntered down to where Kiba sat with Akamaru. Once there, he sank into a spare seat and ignored the prods Kiba gave him.

Sakura felt terrible and she didn't know why.

"Team Eight," Iruka called, entering the room once more. "Come with me to meet your sensei."

"Hey, come on," Sakura heard Kiba mutter to Naruto as she walked behind them. "What's wrong? Did the cramps kick in anyway?"

It took a moment for Naruto to respond. "What? Oh… yeah. Yeah, the milk sucked." And he laughed.

Sakura was almost too distracted to notice that their jounin instructor stood before them.

Iruka tried to salvage the awkward silence. "This is Yuuhi Kurenai. She will be your sensei."

Their sensei had startling red eyes that captured the attention of her students. Naruto, in particular.

"Hey! I know you!" he burst out, pointing. "You're that jounin from yesterday!"

This earned him a whack alongside the head. "It's rude to point!" Iruka hissed, and straightened to smile sheepishly. "Excuse him. He's... loud."

Kurenai smiled faintly. She led her team outside to the courtyard and sat them down on one of the benches. Their expectant expressions gazed up at her. She had to remind herself that they were now her students and that she should set the example.

"We'll begin with some basic introductions so we can get to know each other better. I'll go first. I am Yuuhi Kurenai, and I specialise in genjutsu. I became a jounin last year and this is my first team. I like learning new things, cooking – even though I don't get around to doing that as much as I would like – and I also like to treat my team to meals if they work hard enough."

Naruto whooped. "You rock, sensei!" he cheered, only to be hit by Sakura.

"Zip it!" the pink-haired girl hissed.

Kurenai smiled and went on. "I dislike people who are sexist against females and slackers who believe they can achieve their goals by depriving themselves of hard work. My ambition is to help you achieve yours."

"Me next!" Naruto said, grinning. "Let's see… my name's Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen and anyone else who will treat me to ramen. I don't like the three minutes you have to wait for instant ramen to cook. And my dream is to become Hokage so everyone will finally recognise me and treat me like a great ninja!"

Naruto looked expectantly at Kiba even though the taller boy showed more than one indication that he would like to volunteer next. "Yo! I'm Inuzuka Kiba. I like my sister's cooking, my dog Akamaru and training with Akamaru. This is Akamaru, by the way." At his name, the white puppy in his arms barked. The boy continued with a grin. "I hate getting kicked awake and people who pick on animals. My ambition is to… I dunno - be a jounin?"

Immediately, all eyes turned to Sakura. She responded by clearing her throat and began speaking, her voice deprived of her teammates' confidence. Kurenai wondered if she was accustomed to having attention diverted onto her and not the Uchiha boy. "I-I'm Sakura Haruno. I like flowers, reading and… Sasu… um - and my parents." Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "I dislike Ino and people who make fun of my forehead. My ambition is to prove to my parents that I can be a strong ninja even though I'm the first of my family to take up the career."

Perhaps the girl had more than intelligence. Kurenai offered her a kind smile. "Your forehead is perfectly fine and you have a very beautiful face." The genin flushed and lowered her head.

"Thank you, sensei," she said quietly.

Naruto grinned. "See? I told you!" He turned to Kurenai. "She gets really strong when I try asking her out, too!"

Sakura was suddenly brandishing a threatening fist. "_NARUTO!"_

"Ow! What'd I say?" Naruto exclaimed, and dived for cover. Kiba and Akamaru barked with laughter.

Kurenai had once been their age, and she could understand their enthusiasm and energy. She gathered that she was not wrong about her team. Naruto was, quite literally, a bouncing ball of energy. She would have to do something about his unhealthy lifestyle and attention span. Kiba was deeply focused on Akamaru and his loyalty to his family was apparent. Furthermore, he didn't seem to harbour any animosity towards Naruto. Sakura lacked the motivation her teammates had, yet it was understandable; she was the first ninja from her family line and she was doing very well considering. Indeed, she and Naruto were quite the pair but there was hope. Violence was the first step to friendship. Sometimes.

Kurenai rounded up her students again. "Good introductions, everyone," she said, nodding. "This place is not suitable for what we will be doing next. Follow me."

She led them down to training ground twenty-seven. The genins followed her without much conversation. Aware that Sakura was the only genin on her team who could be considered 'quiet', Kurenai wondered the boys' silence had something to do with her presence. Children were often like that, keeping their distance from adults they had only just met. She wondered how long it would take before they overcame that – probably not very long for Naruto.

Kurenai also noticed that her new students did not talk to each other, either. They walked separately as if the thought of sticking together had not even occurred to them. They obviously were not on very close terms. Kurenai was surprised to see that Naruto did not try to challenge the distance between himself and Sakura.

Arriving at the training ground, Kurenai set them to work on basic taijutsu sparring, their opponent being herself. She was certain that no amount of observation could be measured against firsthand experience. Kiba beat Naruto in volunteering. He told Akamaru to remain by the sidelines and lowered himself into a readying crouch. Kurenai could tell immediately that the boy followed a form of taijutsu different to the basic methods taught at the Academy.

She was proved correct. Kiba's speed was commendable, but his rhythm was unbalanced and wild. His blows came from all directions, and Kurenai momentarily found herself forced to parry each attack without the chance to retaliate. She understood that this was the Inuzuka way of fighting; it was very similar to the ferocious beasts they raised. It took careful observation, but Kurenai soon discovered that Kiba attacked on a frontal basis. He did not slip around his opponent to attack, only leaping forward with the occasional aerial assaults. She sidestepped a brutal kick and grabbed Kiba's wrist as his momentum carried him past her, sweeping him around until she had both his arms pinned against his back.

"Good. Take a rest." Knowing that, although Kiba's methods were undisciplined and relied completely on instinct, it was his clan's fighting style and that attempting to steer him toward steadier forms would most likely do him more harm than good, Kurenai called on Naruto.

It did not take her long to discover that Naruto's taijutsu… horribly sucked.

His form was terribly misplaced. His blows had potential strength behind them, but his stance prevented him from releasing it. He seemed to favour no particular arm when he attacked, and he often found himself caught in a scenario where he would strike with his right arm and discover that his left leg was leading the momentum. More often than not, he spun a kick in the air only to overbalance and leave his torso open to attack.

Kurenai decided at once that Naruto required much assistance in taijutsu. Not particularly adept at the art, the jounin resolved to find another tutor for the blonde.

"Sakura," she called, and waved the girl over.

Sakura quickly adapted a sound imitation of the Academy's lectured taijutsu. Kurenai used 'imitation' because that was all it really was. Sakura carried herself rigidly, as if she had memorized the technique and was trying to mimic it to perfection. She lacked instinct and her blows were weak and undeveloped - yet she had a strong knowledge of where to strike an opponent to induce the most damage. Although the girl appeared to have pieced out Kurenai's movements and committed them to memory, skilfully evading the harder blows, she could not produce a challenge worthy of the jounin's concentration. It appeared that Naruto would have a sparring partner.

"That gave me an insight on your individual skills," Kurenai said while her students rested and caught their breath. "There is room for improvement, as there is for everything. We will discuss this another day. I would now like to see your utilisation of your chakra and your favoured techniques." She was running through a basic assessment that jounins with half the common sense required would opt for.

Naruto had a grin on his face as he stepped forward and formed a handsign. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Chakra seeped from his body at a visible rate, and soon the training ground was misted with smoke.

Kurenai had… never seen so much orange in her life. Naruto's duplicates blurred into existence, filling up the majority of the area. Kiba and Sakura gawked. Naruto waited a moment longer before releasing the jutsu. The clones dispersed, leaving the original looking very pleased with himself.

Kiba whistled. "_Wow_. Can you teach me?"

"I would advise against that," Kurenai said smoothly. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu is incredibly hard to perform and it requires a large amount of chakra. Naruto has unnaturally large chakra reserves, so the technique is perfect for him. You on the other hand, Kiba, would sooner drop from chakra exhaustion before you managed two clones."

Disappointed but not altogether put down, Kiba displayed his own ninjutsu. He performed a jutsu that transformed Akamaru into a carbon copy of himself, and the two of them demolished a row of trees in a powerful frenzy.

The most intriguing performance was Sakura's genjutsu. It took Kurenai several moments to realise that the hundreds of Sakuras surrounding them were not Shadow Clones but an illusion formed by manipulation of her own chakra system. She was impressed with the girl's chakra control; she had barely sensed the genjutsu take over. Noting that genjutsu was not stressed as a vital subject at the Academy, Kurenai saw potential. If Sakura could manipulate genjutsu in such an effective manner, it would not be difficult for her to master other techniques.

"You all did very well," she said, and the genins absorbed the praise whole-heartedly. "Most jounins present their team with an assessment of some sort to gather if they are truly capable of becoming genin. If they aren't, they will be sent back to the Academy. I have-"

"_WHAT?!"_ Kiba and Naruto yelled. The shorter of the pair jumped to his feet. "You're saying I worked so hard to get here and I have to go through _another _test? No fair!"

"Let me finish," Kurenai said, and waited until Sakura had forcibly pulled her teammates to the ground before continuing. "I personally handpicked this team and I have confidence that you will do well. I will not challenge your right as a genin." There were simultaneous sighs of relief that even Akamaru managed to echo.

"However, I will give you a small assignment."

They groaned and Kurenai found herself smiling faintly; they were so predictable.

"Don't fret it. It's simple; I will wait for you at an unnamed location and it is your task to locate me before eight o'clock. That leaves sufficient time for you to sleep in if that is a chronic habit any of you have developed. I would like to assess your ability to locate a given subject."

Sakura looked troubled, Kiba more than displeased, and Naruto unfazed. They came from varying levels of the demography, had completely different styles of fighting – and their personalities clashed. These three were exactly the sort of people who could make parallel lines meet.

So many things could go wrong with this team.

And surprisingly, Yuuhi Kurenai was excited.


	2. First Interaction

**Chapter 2 - First Interaction**

She had set her alarm to go off at precisely a quarter past the sixth hour. That was, however, not to say that she particularly appreciated being roused from her slumber and being subjected to the chill of the early morning. It was the time of day where the sunlight that glanced off dew-glistened buildings was young and the birds were too occupied hunting down early prey to be bothered avoiding the short-tempered shopkeepers setting up their stalls.

She made her own breakfast that morning. Her parents were still asleep and she took care not to wake them. There would be another unnecessary discussion if she did.

The previous night, when she had tromped home, fatigued and with patches of dirt caking her outfit where Kurenai-sensei had knocked her to the ground, her parents had immediately proceeded to fuss over her. When she had finally convinced them that their 'poor pink baby' was fine and highly annoyed, they backed off to shake their heads and telling her that she 'need not take down this path' and that although they were 'proud of her achievement, determination and willingness to be unique', it was time to 'realise that some things were not necessary', which basically translated into: _'We don't like the idea of our daughter becoming a ninja'._

They had gone through this many, many times before.

So she was the first ninja in her family line; so she wasn't accustomed to being thrown around like the first day of training had presented her; so she was not a boy; so she had pink hair that she had grown out to ridiculous lengths for the attention of a boy who looked upon her as 'ignorant' – so _what?_

Sakura irritably knocked aside some dishes to reach the wooden spoon, promptly erupting into a dominoes effect which she dived forward to halt. Holding her breath and several pieces of chinaware from their impending doom, the pink-haired girl listened intently for signs that her parents had been woken by the ruckus.

When Sakura did not hear the usual creak of the fifth step on the staircase creak with her father's anxious steps, she gingerly replaced the dishes that she had disturbed and leaned over the steaming pot to stir at the miso soup. She poured it into a preheated thermos and started to prepare her bento, sticking in some dried seaweed and last night's fish.

Sighing with regret that she knew would come back to haunt her when she got back after training, she left her parents a note on the kitchen counter to tell her that she would be home late. Once that was done, she shouldered her backpack and walked to the door.

Be it surprise, annoyance or suspicion, Sakura, to her credit, managed not to come to blows when she found a certain blonde sitting on her doorstep, his head ducking with sleep.

She wisely closed the door behind her before sucking in a huge breath.

"_NARUTO!"_

The blonde yelped and shot to his feet. He instantly became wide awake. "Ohayo, Sakura! I was wondering when you'd wake up."

A vein in Sakura's temple twitched. _Is he boldly accusing me of __sleeping in_?

"Save it," she said shortly, stepping out onto the street. "Don't you have better things to do than sit outside my house? Kurenai-sensei is expecting us."

By this point, Naruto had hurriedly relieved her of her pack and had shouldered it himself. He grinned widely. "That's why I'm here, actually – I'm gonna take you to her."

One eyebrow arched up. Sakura studied the annoying pest beside her, grinning like the complete idiot he had to be. Was it possible that Naruto had indeed woken earlier than she had and located their sensei during the time she had used to catch up on some well-needed sleep? It was a rather unlikely and offending prospect. Admittedly, Sakura had no particular great plan of action herself, but to think that Naruto was actually standing before her, claiming he would be charioting her away to a destination she had not even figured out yet…

Naturally, Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "How would _you_ know?" she demanded.

He seemed pleased that she had asked. "Easy! I just sent out a whole batch of shadow clones. Whoever found Sensei first came back and reported to me. And then I thought that you might need some help, so I came to pick you up." They turned into one of the main roads. Many shopkeepers loitered by the front of their stores, preparing for yet another day of business and common mischief.

"Hmm." Sakura refused to say more, having become absorbed in her thoughts. So Naruto had come to the conclusion that she had no notable jutsu or abilities suited for tracking – boldly, it meant she sucked at it. She grimaced upon realising that it was the truth.

She let Naruto lead the way, mainly because she had nothing to lose if she followed him. A small ball of gratitude curled into her conscience, and Sakura found strange comfort in the knowledge that Naruto had come to her aid. He did not qualify as a knight in shining armour that the pink-haired girl would much rather be Sasuke, but the short boy was admittedly her teammate now, and it would not hurt to perhaps give him a _little _acknowledgment.

She lowered her head, and her tone. "Thanks," she mumbled.

He turned to her, ceasing the humming she had not noticed until just now. "Eh? What'd you say, Sakura?"

Faint annoyance glowed in her being but Sakura forced it down. She was trying to be _nice._ "I said, _thank you_."

"Oh." He shrugged. "That's good to hear, but you should say it to my face later."

She snapped. The one time she tried to be nice and understanding - and he blew it. He was practically asking for it. She brandished a well-practiced fist. "IT'S 'YOU'RE WELCOME'!"

Naruto saw the danger and immediately backed away, frantically waving his arms before him. "No! Don't hit me! I'm a-" Too late. Sakura's blow, strengthened by morning irritation, blindsided him.

She knew something was wrong the moment she staggered to regain her balance after the frightening momentum she had put behind her assault. She had fallen right through her teammate.

"_Don't hit me! I'm a-"_

A shadow clone.

The clone dissipated into thin air with an audible 'pop' and her backpack dropped to the ground. Sakura blinked for a short moment, and then stooped to pick it up.

"Idiot," she murmured, though she could not suppress the sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

She eventually came to the dismaying realisation that she had just jeopardised her one chance of reaching the meeting place on time.

"… I did not just do that."

* * *

"C'mon, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted from the door. He jogged lightly on the spot to warm up. "Let's get going already!"

There was a little over half an hour left before eight o'clock and the Inuzuka admitted that he was perhaps cutting the deadline a little closely. It had seemed like a good idea to sleep in – ignoring his sister's cool prediction that it would turn out the way it had. Kiba was not known for his punctuality.

The small puppy leapt the last metre and landed on his partner's shoulder. He yipped as Kiba fumbled for the keys to lock the door: "_Betcha I'll smell her before you do."_

"Braggart," the boy accused. "Fine! Get sniffing!"

Barely a minute later Akamaru barked excitedly and took off. Kiba 'hmph'ed and darted off after his dog. He swore to himself, as he had so many times before, that he would one day best his furry friend. It was not like he resented his companion for his well-tuned tracking skills; no, Kiba respected that, but it did little to assure his deflated ego.

It became clear after several minutes of bounding over rooftops that Kurenai-sensei's scent was accompanied by that of fauna that Kiba and Akamaru had only smelled at one place before – the public park by the eastern border of the village that was home to a ridiculously long staircase.

"She sure knows how to pick 'em," Kiba remarked, ignoring the flash of a breeze that swept back his hood. It was nice to feel the wind rush through his tousled hair, messing it more than his sister would have felt comfortable sharing company with. "There's, like, two thousands steps on that thing!"

Akamaru yipped in agreement: "_Yeah… race?"_

"Now you're talking!" The pair shot forward at a speed that disturbed several breakfasters. It appeared that they might even have some time to spare after all.

Kiba miscalculated his next jump and ended up flailing his limbs for balance. Noticing his master's apparent difficulty in remaining on their perch, Akamaru darted back and snared the boy by the trouser leg. The small dog lowered himself onto his haunches and pulled furiously, stalling the descent long enough for Kiba to wrap his arms around the chimney that conveniently happened to be within his reach.

"I wish you'd wash your pants," Akamaru complained. "_And y__ou're clumsier than Naruto."_

The genin got to his feet. "Oh, shut up. Don't you smell him? Naruto's already there!"

As the dark-haired boy gathered a trickle of chakra in his legs in preparation to take off again, a slight breeze rustled in from the south, carrying with it a familiar scent. "Hey! That's Sakura!" Kiba realised. "She's a bit off mark, don't you think? Doesn't seem like she's figured out where to go yet."

Akamaru eyed him pointedly. _"Probably because she doesn't have a __loyal, intelligent__ nin-dog to guide her along."_

"So? Naruto doesn't and he made it." Kiba sniffed the air again. "Think she needs help?" He gathered Akamaru and bundled the dog inside his jacket. "Probably does. We're running out of time and it'll be faster if you hop in with me – don't give me that look, boy. If you'd actually bothered training with Nee-chan's Haimaru triplets, we wouldn't be in this stick." That said – and an indignant puppy silenced – he hurried off, finding quick and easy purchase on the weather-worn surfaces he leapt off.

* * *

Sakura cursed her idiocy for the twenty-second time in an hour. If she'd had the common sense to have asked Naruto – his _clone_, she reminded herself – she would not be circling around like a sightless vulture. She dug for reasons to force the blame onto Naruto, but it was impossible to pin anything against him. His intentions had been good and it was kind of her fault for punching him.

Giving up, she approached a nearby grocer. "Um…excuse me."

The grocer glanced up without any particular interest. "What is it, girlie? Some of us have business to get to, you know."

She gave the grocer a weak smile, deciding that it was not wise to attempt to strike up a conversation while the man was not in his best mood. "I was just… going to get some fruit. Any, um… good recommendations?"

The man eyed her. He might be known as a slacker by his family and associates, but he was not dim by any chance. There was nothing that prevented him from glancing up and noticing the forehead protector bound on the girl's head, holding back her ridiculously coloured hair. Ninja these days just could not be trusted. Sure, they held back the wars a good deal and gave the countries a good reason to trade with the businesses, but their sneaky ways were just too suspicious to blend among normal folk.

The fact that Tanaka Noboru had, a good ten or so years ago, been a well known jounin ironically contradicted his misgivings regarding the shinobi ranks. Of course, having lived through the life of living in the shadows and acquired a sharp eye for small details, Tanaka was more than aware that some of the more arrogant chuunin eyed his fresh batches of apples more commonly than he would like.

"Hmph. Bananas?" he offered, putting away the magazine he had been reading and craning himself forward to tap at the nearest bundles. "Just came in from the Vegetable Country last night." Tanaka allowed himself a chuckle. "Dunno why they call that place a veggie – their green stuff tastes like crap."

Sakura's eyes widened and she nodded quickly. "Yes, bananas will be fine, thank you."

As the grocer grumbled and juggled a bundle of bananas into a plastic bag, she decided that the man was still not in the best of moods, and she was intimidated by the thought of asking him for a favour of some sort. "How do you know the Vegetable Country's food tastes bad?"

Tanaka scratched the stubble on his chin as he leaned over to hand the bag to his first customer of the day. "Back years ago when I could still take missions I went there to escort their daimyo to meet our daimyo for a renewal of their treaty. Fed me this ugly green soup while I was there and it tasted worse than my sister's - and _she_ works with poison. Fruits are okay, though," he added, seeing the girl's expression.

Sakura nodded slowly. "You were a ninja?"

"Well, yeah. Jounin." Reminiscence of his prime days had Tanaka leaning back and staring at the eaves of his shop with a slightly glazed over look in his eyes. "About to join ANBU, too." He glanced sharply at the girl. "Pay up, by the way. Read the sign and work it out yourself."

"O-Oh. Right. Sorry." Sakura fumbled in her pack for her purse and handed over the money. "Are you still a ninja?"

"No. D'you think I'd be sitting here if I was?"

She frowned in confusion. "But you were good enough for ANBU."

Tanaka let out a booming laugh that had the nearby bookstore's owner swivelling his head to regard his neighbour with suspicion. This girl was hilarious. "You ever seen a wooden peg leg, eh?" When she unthinkingly shook her head, he chuckled and lifted his legs to rest them on the crate before him. "See that? Sorta hard to jump around roofs when you're always tripping up, heh? Fix that jaw up, that's a good lass."

Sakura tore her gaze away from the severed leg, replaced by a block of heavy wood that narrowed to a small rounded point. "S-Sorry," she stammered. _This was a bad idea. Big _bad _idea. I should have asked someone else – someone who _doesn't _have a wooden leg to show off!_

The laugh returned. "Nah – don't worry about it. My sister got into ANBU, though. Damn proud of her, I am! Eh… why are you still standing around for, girl?"

That certainly snapped Sakura back to her senses, and reminded her why she had approached the man in the first place. "Have you seen a woman this tall-" She indicated by raising her arm, "-with long dark hair, red eyes and wraps-"

Tanaka raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be talking about Yuuhi Kurenai, would you?"

Sakura allowed her hopes to rise. "Do you know Kurenai-sensei? Have you seen her?"

"I've known her since she was a genin. Her sensei was a friend of mine." The grocer peered at his customer. "You on her genin team now, are you? You'd better watch that temper of hers. She was a force to be reckoned with back when I used to take her for a spot of training. And no, I haven't seen your sensei."

Hopes fell. "Oh." So she had wasted fifteen ryou for nothing. "Thank you anyway." Conversing with the man had been interesting but she had spent too much time loitering. She certainly was not any closer to finding Kurenai-sensei. She bowed quickly to the grocer. "I'll be leaving now. Thank you, sir-"

"No sirs," the man said in a lazy tone. "Name's Tanaka Noboru."

Sakura hesitated, and the bowed hastily again. "Thank you, Ta – Tanaka-san."

She missed the man's roll of his eyes as she turned away – and promptly bumped into Kiba.

"Oh hey, it's you," her teammate exclaimed, as Akamaru barked a greeting. "Thought you were somewhere around here."

"Kiba?" Sakura asked, confused. "I thought you would've found Kurenai-sensei by now."

He rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "Slept in," he admitted. "Me and Akamaru were just passing and we smelt you-" _Smelt me,_ Sakura repeated in her mind. _Comforting._ "-and we thought you might need some help."

At this, Sakura took back whatever misgivings she'd held toward Kiba at his last comment. "Yeah, I do," she said slowly. "Naruto sent a shadow clone to help me but I… shooed him away."

Kiba stared and laughed. "Just as long as you don't 'shoo' me off too." He glanced up at the sky. "Oh damn – we don't have much time."

He turned his gaze to Sakura, gauging her. From what he had figured from yesterday's training session, his new teammate did not have the world's most commendable speed and stamina. Having to adjust his speed to match hers would slow them down considerably and judging by the rate the sun was rising toward midday, they wouldn't make it in time.

But hell, Kiba would be damned if he was leaving one of his new pack behind.

He slipped a pill from an inner pocket in his coat and fed it to Akamaru. "Alright, boy. Let's get this done."

Just Kiba was about to perform the Beast Human Clone jutsu, Tanaka's voice cut in to interrupt.

"Hey you – doggie kid."

Sakura turned, not altogether uninterested in what Tanaka might have to say. He had a distinct personality that made her associate him to a distant uncle of hers, who happened to have the same rogue qualities – minus the wooden leg and the ninja-turned-grocer career.

Kiba frowned. "What?"

"You Tsume's kid?"

"Hey – you know my mom?"

Tanaka grinned. "And that stinking mutt, Kuromaru. Tell her Tanaka Noboru says hello."

"Huh?"

"She'll know who I am."

Kiba raised an eyebrow and gave Sakura a look that said: _Hey, you __know_ _this guy?_ She shrugged helplessly. "Eh… sure, stranger. I'll tell her that." It did not take much for the boy to push the strange grocer to the back of his mind and work on the task at hand. Wisps of chakra rose from his clothing, forming around Akamaru. The puppy bared his teeth and transformed into a clone of his master.

"Hop on, Sakura," Kiba said, as he and Akamaru hunched over, side by side. "It'll be faster if we carry you."

She hesitated. "Are you sure?" Becoming a literal burden was not what she'd had in mind when she pictured herself as a kunoichi.

"Sure. We practiced this loads of times. Promise we won't drop you."

That happened to have been the last concern Sakura had in mind. Hesitantly, she climbed onto the Kibas, treading carefully in case she hurt either of them. "Sure this is okay?" she asked again, dubiously.

One of the Kibas gave a bark, and Sakura took the one on her right to be Akamaru. "Akamaru says you worry more than my sister," Kiba grinned from her left. "Just hold on tight, okay?"

At this, Sakura squeezed both shoulders she happened to have been gripping.

"Hey, girlie," Tanaka said, just as her carriers were gathering chakra for a bounding leap.

She turned toward him. "Yes?"

"It's not fair if you know my name and I don't know yours."

She flushed. "Oh! Sorry - m-my name's Sakura. Haruno Sakura. I don't come from a clan," she added, upon seeing the brows pull together in thought.

Tanaka nodded, chuckling. "First in line. Well, good luck with Kurenai."

Sakura was about to bade the man goodbye, but Kiba and Akamaru chose that moment to leap upward. Their synchronized movement startled her for a short moment; they moved as if they were one being. Their bodies never parted more than an inch, never opening up a crevice for her to fall through.

"Weird guy," Kiba shouted over the wind that raced up to meet them.

"Probably," Sakura agreed. Her hair whipped around her face. "But he doesn't seem too bad." Strange acquaintances were somewhat interesting, if not intimidating. For some reason, the pink-haired girl foresaw a great number of future trips to that particular store.

* * *

"Uh, Sensei?"

Kurenai lifted her gaze from the children on the play equipment nearby to regard her student – the only one present for the time being, she noted. "Yes, Naruto?"

The blonde's finger trailed in the dirt as he squatted in a crouch. "When can we eat? I'm hungry."

The jounin's gaze lingered on him. "Naruto, what do you have for breakfast?"

He looked up. "Me?" he asked. She nodded. "I drink milk and go down to Ichiraku's if I get up early. If I don't have time I pack instant ramen for lunch. I skipped breakfast today because I wanted to get here early."

At this, Kurenai frowned. The boy was not receiving nearly enough nutrition to support a growing body. She noted his stature, his build; he was not notably tall, but his bone structure appeared to be quite healthy. If he could effectively utilize taijutsu, his own limbs could become lethal weapons. Naruto was lacking in height, but she had already noticed that he had endurance and speed.

On the matter of Naruto's taijutsu training, Kurenai had yet to seek out a tutor for him. As it was, she in truth had a suitable instructor in mind… she just doubted that she would agree.

Kurenai was easily absorbed into thoughts and sidetracked, as Kouta-sensei had informed her enough times. She barely noticed Naruto jump to his feet until he started hollering at the top of his voice: "Yo! Guys, over here!"

The rest of Team Eight had arrived.

The jounin followed her energetic pupil to meet the newcomers. Two Kibas were crouched over to allow a windswept Sakura to clamber off their backs. Naruto, grinning, went over and offered her his hand, which she accepted with a slight scowl. Akamaru reverted to his true form and sank to the grass.

"What happened to the clone I sent to pick you up?" Naruto asked Sakura. He did not understand why his teammate's expression dissolved into one of discomfort.

"Next time, Naruto," she said, searching carefully for the right way to phrase her next words, "you should make your clones wear big signs that say 'I am a shadow clone…don't hit me or I will disappear and leave you in the middle of nowhere'."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Sakura flushed with slight embarrassment and lowered her head. Naruto cocked his head and frowned in confusion; Kurenai found herself reluctant to break his contemplation. After all, he did need to learn to stop and think in situations where such would be useful in a life or death situation. Kiba's eyes flickered from one teammate to the other, all the while hunched over with his hands pressed against his knees as he gasped for breath, undoubtedly winded from the challenging hike up the impressive staircase. From what Kurenai had gathered, Naruto had summoned a trio of shadow clones to ferry him up the stone steps.

She had to hand it to him; the boy had creativity.

Kurenai was, however, impressed that both Naruto and Kiba had thought to think for Sakura's disadvantage and had willingly pitched in their efforts to assist her. This was a side to the exercise that Kurenai had been most interested in seeing. Teamwork was a fickle thing.

"Very good, all of you," she said. The boys perked up, but Sakura was not one to bask in praise that she had not earned.

"Sensei," she began, but Kurenai cut in with a prepared response to the unspoken confession.

"Each of you is unique and possess your own qualities and abilities. No one expects you to do well in every task that is assigned to you. That is why, from your Academy years, you have been monitored and partnered with those that can compensate for your faults. These teams have been carefully discussed and chosen to suit each squad. Sakura," she said, looking at the girl, "your teammates are there to do what you can't. Likewise, you will have to help them when they need it.

"Hai, Kurenai-sensei."

Naruto, predictably, had only spared half an ear to listen in. He groaned and flopped to the ground, sending a small cloud of dust wafting into the air. "Can we eat now? I'm hungry!"

Kurenai sighed to herself. "How many of you haven't had breakfast?" Silence met her. "I suppose that's all of you, then." She spared them the lecture that breakfast was as vital to a genin as their forehead protector. She would save that for later, knowing that such a sermon would most likely fall on deaf ears. "I was going to run through a few points before we had morning tea, but I presume none of you are going to concentrate with your appetite unsatisfied. We'll get takeaway."

Kiba frowned. "But Sakura has food." He could smell the aroma wafting off her backpack.

The jounin raised an eyebrow and turned to the pink-haired girl. "Sakura?"

The young kunoichi's eyes widened. "Ah! Sorry! I forgot!" She berated herself for her idiocy and produced the bundle of bananas she had purchased earlier. "I have these."

Immediately, Naruto jumped to his feet with a bright twinkle in his eyes. Sakura found herself in a tight embrace that she had _not _been expecting. "I love you, Sakura!"

Deciding that she did not care if she offended another possible shadow clone, Sakura delivered an uppercut to the blonde's jaw, satisfied when no 'pop' followed afterward. Naruto landed unimpressively at Kiba's feet. Akamaru trotted over and licked his bruised jawline.

"Smart," Kiba said sarcastically. He hauled the shorter boy to his feet. "I think you should stick to just a 'thank you' next time."

Kurenai crossed her arms and stepped back. Her charges barely noticed her retreating to lean by a tree, slipping into the half-shadows. She watched them as they interacted, and noticed for the first time just how childish her team was.

As any other experienced jounin could make out, Naruto was most prone to laughter above the average volume, and most of the time the cheerful grins were exaggerated. He was a cheerful being, yet the pain of years of exclusion did not bode well with him. That, however, did not stop him from pelting Kiba with banana peels.

The Inuzuka did not take well to being bombarded with fruit sheddings, and he quickly retaliated. Akamaru sat by the side, opting to accompany Sakura on the more quiet experiences of life over aiding his master. Kiba's laugh was mocking and generously loud. He had no trouble socialising and it was highly doubtful that he ever would experience difficulties.

Kurenai's attention shifted to the last of her genins. Sakura was the most difficult to understand. From what the jounin understood, Sakura had been subjected to bullying during her childhood, the causes of which being her curiously coloured hair and somewhat generously spaced forehead. She had apparently been befriended by the Yamanaka girl. However, somewhere between that space of time and graduation from the Academy, Sakura had dropped her friendship with Ino and developed an infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke.

However, watching the girl tip a small portion of her prepared breakfast for Akamaru, and smile when the small dog uncharacteristically purred, Kurenai could see the intelligent, withdrawn child that Haruno Sakura must have been in her earlier years at the Academy. It was not hard to picture Sakura as a caring girl, but her somewhat violent treatment toward Naruto's antics belied the quiet nature.

Kurenai gave them a few more moments, and then put her foot down. Her students sheepishly cleaned up their mess and followed her to a walkway path that circled around the park. The winding trail eventually winded back to the village's centre, and Kurenai planned to take her team the whole way around. The males of the team immediately considered the stroll a mundane task and took to their unfinished squabble.

"Oi! Get off me!" Kiba guffawed as Naruto pounced on his back and, grinning, tugged at the Inuzuka's jacket hood.

"No!"

"Grr… _Akamaru!"_

But the puppy was innocently riding in Sakura's arms, who scowled slightly at her teammates' embarrassing behaviour. Minutes later, the boys calmed down – and then started off again. The ruckus reached the point where Kurenai was forced to intervene.

She stopped and turned around – Kiba had grabbed Naruto in a headlock and neither of them were watching where they were going. Sakura gave Kurenai a pleading look and the jounin nodded her consent. The pink-haired genin cracked her knuckles.

Two concussions later, Kiba's and Naruto's attention span lengthened and Kurenai relived every moment of silence they were blessed with.

"As a shinobi, your most powerful weapon is silence and stealth." She looked down at them. "What makes you think the behaviour you just displayed qualifies as that of genin?"

She received simultaneous mumbles of "Sorry, Sensei".

The jounin sighed. The boys cracked open an eye to peer at their mentor. Kurenai raised an eyebrow at them and they quickly diverted their gazes. Perhaps she could use their temporary fear of her wrath to drill a lesson into their minds.

She raised a hand to flick back her long hair, her fingers blurring in a well-practiced hand sign. "What do I look like at the moment to you?" she asked in a softer tone.

"Kurenai-sensei," Kiba said hesitantly.

"Is that your final answer? Naruto?" The blonde had been staring at her with his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

He blinked. "Sensei… are you on fire?_"_

Sakura had very little patience, especially when it came to Naruto. A vein popped and she stomped over to the short blonde. "Naruto! What kind of question is _that?"_ she scowled.

"An observant one," Kurenai replied, in time to rescue Naruto from his female teammate's wrath. When Sakura stared, the jounin smiled. "Do you see it too, Sakura?"

Haruno Sakura was not one to believe anything with a deficiency of evidence – but she had to believe this one. Their sensei's eyes, naturally a curious shade of crimson, had small flames flickering in their reflection. Be it an illusion or the mind's tricks, Sakura could have sworn that Kurenai had seemed to tower over them with a gushing torrent of fire backing her.

She blinked. "This is a genjutsu, isn't it?"

Kurenai smiled; the girl was as knowledgeable as her file had suggested. "That's right," she agreed, and the frightening image of an looming, erupting sensei faded. "It was a simple genjutsu."

Naruto's head cocked to one side. "Erm… Sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"What exactly does a genjutsu _do_?" His cheeks had flushed a slight shade of pink and he was staring at the ground, as if embarrassed that he had to ask such a simple question. For the umpteenth time since meeting the boy, Kurenai had to wonder what the Academy instructors had been teaching him.

They continued walking. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Naruto's shoulders fall when he realised that she had not answered his question. The jounin kept a steady eye on the blonde, finally deciding that it was time she confronted him. "Kiba, Sakura and Akamaru," she said, and the trio jogged ahead of her to regard her. "I would like you to take a short run back to the park and then turn around and catch up with us."

As expected, the lack of mention of Naruto did not slip by. "Hey," Kiba protested. "What about Naruto?"

"He will be doing a similar exercise."

Sakura visibly winced at physical training, but she obeyed without question. Kiba grumbled and took off after her with Akamaru. Kurenai kept walking, Naruto trailing half a step behind her.

"What will I be doing, Kurenai-sensei?" the boy asked.

"Walk with me, Naruto," she said simply.

His smile faltered. "O-Okay."

He fell into step beside her, head lowered and hands shoved into his pockets. Naruto was not a big thinker; he was of the kind that thought only of consequences _after _he had caused trouble. Yet Kurenai was really pressing on his brain cells. She had seemed quite nice and friendly the day before, but today she appeared to be either ignoring him or giving him special treatment. It reminded Naruto horribly of the more unforgiving Academy teachers – and now that he knew _why _they hated him so much, he began to dread the next moments with his new sensei.

"Naruto," Kurenai's quiet voice broke into his musings.

He looked up. "Yeah?"

"What have you learned at the Academy?"

This knocked him off guard for a short moment. He hadn't really thought about that. "Well… the basic ninjutsu and stuff, I suppose. You know – the Rope Escape Technique, which I suck at, and the Transfo-"

She raised a hand to stop him. "Let me rephrase my question: how do they _treat _you at the Academy?" She watched him from the corner of her eye as they continued to walk.

Naruto stared up at her in shock. "What d'you mean?"

"I think you know."

He lowered his head and bit his lip. He didn't know if he should feel grateful that she cared, or if he should be experiencing a darker emotion. Kurenai sounded a lot like Sandaime. It was always a difficult decision between spilling the truth and colouring his response to match the opposite.

Without looking up, he told her about his years in the Academy; how, in his first year, he had been shunned from the groups the other students had formed and how he had spent more time sitting on the creaking swing in the courtyard than playing 'ninja' with the other kids; how his second year instructor had refused to acknowledge his presence and his questions and how his following teachers had followed suit; how, by the fourth year, he had picked up Shikamaru's habits of slacking off in class and had been punished by having his face sprayed with spittle and then cleaned in the toilet bowl.

His voice was bitter, and at times Kurenai could see and feel his shoulders trembling with fury. After she felt a warm trickle of blood trickling down her palm where her nails had carved crescent-shaped lacerations against her skin, she decided that her composure was probably not much better off than her student's.

"But then I got Iruka-sensei," Naruto said, piercing through her darker thoughts with a triumphant tone in his voice. "He was always picking on me and stuff, making me stay back and clean up the pranks I pulled – but he was the only one who would bother answering my questions. And sometimes, he'd treat me to ramen when I do stuff right – like hit targets with shuriken and that kinda thing. And, and he…" His voice trailed off there and he pondered if he should reveal the events of that night with Mizuki's betrayal.

Yuuhi Kurenai could not say that she was particularly fond of the Nine-Tailed Fox. It had taken away the lives of many people. She hated it for committing such terrible acts and no one could blame her for thinking so… but at the moment she _loathed _it for being the cause of grief to the youth walking alongside her. Naruto had been alone for so long that the slightest motions of kindness had him rethinking his impressions of a person in seconds. It most likely resulted in false pretences and betrayal of his affections, which would explain why he was so careful to conceal his emotions.

"Naruto…" she said, her voice faltering with uncharacteristic hesitation. "Tell me, do you feel… lonely?"

He stiffened.

"_Hey, kid, quit staring at my dango like that. You want one, you pay for it… no wait – it's _you? _Change of mind; just shoo. Shoo or I'll get the broom!" – _And most of the time he would linger to inhale the aroma for a moment longer until his presence irritated the adult and he would flee, sticking his tongue out during the process.

"_No, sweetheart, don't play with him. He's… a bad boy. Yes, a bad boy…" _– He would grin and tell his would-have-been friend that it was fine and that he would see him the next day, and he would wave while the other kid stared curiously back at him. When the 'next day' came, they would ignore his greeting, and when forced to respond they would do so with an unfriendly comment.

Yes, he supposed he was lonely.

"Hey _Naruto. If you get this done by nightfall… I'll buy you dinner."_

"_Sometimes, Naruto, it is natural to despise those who express the same feelings toward you. But you have to understand that, to become a good Hokage, you have to accept their resentment toward your existence… and understand that no matter what illusion plays among your mind, you will never be truly alone."_

He noticed that Kurenai was still awaiting his reply. He shrugged and smiled. "Not anymore."

She nodded and went on to explain the basics of genjutsu. Naruto did not inquire upon her sudden change of subject and listened intently to the explanation, shooting off questions that bounced back at strange angles to another inquiry, which was often followed by a scenario conjured from his imagination. Kurenai nodded and did her best to fill in the years of knowledge he had been denied.

Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru caught up with them just when she had been about to explain the process of cancelling a genjutsu. Sakura, the jounin noted, was definitely in dire need of taijutsu training; the girl was putting an asthmatic to shame. Kiba, though winded, was grinning.

"Told you it wasn't impossible," he said to Sakura, who was clutching her ribs as she sucked in a difficult breath.

"Not everyone," she gasped out, glaring, "runs crazy… laps around the village… everyday!"

Kiba's grinned widened and he slipped his hands behind his head. "Hey, you're welcome to join me."

"F-Forget it!"

Kurenai stopped and turned around. "That actually is not a bad idea. It would do well to improve your stamina and fitness, Sakura. Naruto, I suggest you join them." She commended herself on her quick thinking. To allow the three genin time to socialize among themselves without her influencing their behaviour would certainly prove to be a shortcut to teamwork and friendship.

In response, the genins just stared at her, then at each other. Naruto eventually picked up the discussion. "I don't really mind, I guess. What time do you get up, Kiba?"

"Eh? Well…" Kiba rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly uncomfortable. "My sister's actually the one who drags me up for stuff like that. The time changes sometimes, but we usually get out at around seven. I missed my run today and she was gonna grill me." He laughed uneasily and looked expectantly at his teammates.

"That's… cool," Naruto said slowly. "I'll, um… be there tomorrow…"

Kiba cracked a smile and turned to Sakura. "So… you coming too?"

Sakura cringed. She was still catching her breath from the previous run, which in truth had not been all that long. They hadn't gotten far into the walk and the distance had not been great. It had been hard keeping pace with Kiba – she even suspected that he had been holding back to wait for her. Reluctant to fall behind, she nodded uncertainly. "I'll come."

The rest of the village had woken while Team Eight had been absent from it. Kurenai dismissed her students for breakfast while she attended to her own business. She dropped them directions to a restaurant she frequented, though Sakura was perhaps the only one who listened. Naruto and Kiba had already gone ahead.

"Place it under my tab," Kurenai called after them. "I will join you when I have finished."

* * *

Yamane Takara woke to the chirping of bothersome birds. She found herself sprawled across her sagging couch, and she almost slipped back down again when her feet felt around for her sandals, tripping against two empty saké jugs that could be found rolling against the scratched floorboards of her apartment.

Swearing, she hauled herself to a technically upright pose and stumbled to her bathroom to splash her face with water. She became aware of a certain presence when her mind cleared a little. A chuckle escaped her lips, muffled slightly by the cloth she had pressed against her face.

"What wind blows you here, Kurenai?"

The towel in her hands flicked out to snatch the bottle that had been thrown through her window. She eased open the cork and inhaled a scent of the Rice Country's finest. "Not half bad - you're getting better at picking this stuff."

Her former teammate stepped out from behind the cracked walls of the dwelling and joined Takara at the wooden table where the latter had begun pouring two cups.

"You haven't been taking care of yourself, have you?" Kurenai brushed her gaze lightly over the woman that had been a close friend and confidant. She was disappointed to discover that Takara's brown hair was as long, lank and unkempt as ever, deprived of the natural attention a woman would force upon her appearance. The slight dark circles under her eyes told Kurenai that her old teammate had been doing nothing the previous night but drink to the hope of losing her consciousness for as long as she could.

Takara did not forget, but she often attempted to escape reality.

She had attempted to escape her physical environment as well. She was the only tenant in her apartment, which was situated on the outskirts of the village. Takara could only take her conscience that far, a place where she retain memories of the happier days, of the oath she had committed herself to over a decade ago. She drowned out reminiscence of the darker days whenever she could, and they happened to disturb her on more accounts than she could care to count.

"Skip the formalities, Kurenai," she sighed, nudging a cup toward her friend. "This hangover of mine makes it hard to process stuff like that. Oh yeah – congratulations on making jounin. Heard you got a bunch of brats to babysit. How are they?"

Never having found the tolerance to alcohol, Kurenai declined the drink. "They could do with some sharpening," she replied truthfully. "But they are not the worst."

"Kids these days are always rambling on about how they want to be great ninja when they grow up… good thing they had no war to deal with, huh?" Kurenai did not say anything. She waited until Takara had downed a cup of saké and started pouring another. "How badly does your team suck?"

"Two of them could benefit from additional taijutsu tutoring."

Takara glanced sharply at Kurenai. "Is that why you're here? And here I was thinking you were actually missing me."

Kurenai pursed her lips. On second thoughts, that saké might not be so bad after all… "I do miss you, Takara… the old you, anyway."

"Dead."

"Takara-"

"I'm not going to get involved in anything to do with the likes of you shinobi. I'm done with it. You go ahead and pursue whatever crazy dream you still have, Kurenai – I didn't stop you from continuing down that cursed road and I hope you respect my right to stay away from it."

"Must you be so difficult?" Kurenai sighed exasperatedly. She had known this would not be easy.

Takara laughed. "Remember how Kouta-sensei always used to say that? He'd give me this disapproving look and then say it with a grin. Do you remember, Kurenai?"

"Takara, this is-"

"Do you remember, Kurenai?" Takara persisted in a harder tone.

Kurenai winced. "Yes," she whispered, knowing what was going to follow and bracing herself for it.

The glint that had been in Takara's eyes dulled. "And do you remember how he died, Kurenai? Do you remember how we were going to charge into battle like the good ninja we were supposed to be? Do you remember how Masuru's bones cracked like twigs? Do you remember what Sensei's _flesh _smelt?"

She did. Of course she did. "Takara, this has to stop. You have to stop living in the past."

"I'm not _living _in it," the other woman hissed. Both had risen to their feet, facing each other over the ancient table that creaked under the weight of their palms slamming onto its surface. "I'm _running away _from it! You really think putting up that smile over all else will work, Kurenai? It doesn't. Trust me, I've tried and it doesn't goddamn work."

She heaved in a deep breath and sat down, shakily emptying the saké gourd into her mouth. "I'm done with being a kunoichi, Kurenai," she said in a softer tone after she had wiped her mouth. "I'm done. I'm not going to teach your students. Go find someone else – get Gai; he'll do it if you ask."

"Gai has his own genin team to consider. As you are constantly reminding me, Takara, you don't."

Takara raised an eyebrow and a smile that reminded Kurenai of its mischievous counterpart touched her lips. "One reason? Is that all you can come up with these days, Kurenai?"

Kurenai turned away so that her friend could not see her own smile. "Yes."

"Really?" her teammate pressed.

"Yes."

"Do you swear on Masuru and Sensei's graves?"

The red-eyed woman regarded her friend. "That was cruel, Takara." Their passed on comrades had no grave, no resting place to speak of…there had been nothing left to bury. "I'm not going to ask Gai and you know perfectly why."

The other woman shrugged. "Just checking that he hasn't shaved off those brows of his. Haven't seen him for ages – he still yelling about his age?"

"No. He's pronouncing the 'immortality of youth'." Kurenai whispered a silent apology to the green clad jounin with the orange leg warmers.

Takara threw her head back and let out a short bark of laughter. "Sounds just like him," she commented, grinning. Kurenai knew that if she squinted, as she had so many times before, she would be able to see the younger Takara Yamane that had been an official tomboy and had enjoyed pestering their sensei for missions.

But then, when Kurenai noticed her friend rubbing her forearm, all projections of the past vanished. The red-eyed jounin knew what was hidden under the long-sleeved shirts that Takara refused to replace even in the midst of summer, tucked carefully away from the notice of others – and more importantly, herself. There was a scar, one that appeared to have been drawn with a ruler and one that would mark her forever. Thankfully, none others joined its company since the first time Kurenai had caught her teammate purposefully harming herself. But it was still there, still visible, and the same could be said for Takara's unrelenting memories and her inability to accept them.

"I have a student," Kurenai began quietly, and she gestured toward the offending forearm when her teammate glanced up at her. "He has scars as well. I find that emotional scars hurt more than physical ones. Less than a week ago, he found out exactly why the villagers hate him so much."

She noticed that Takara's eyes had widened, but she went on grimly. "He has determination like no other. His taijutsu is crippled and the same goes for his reputation, but he still finds strength to smile for his friends. That boy, this student of mine… his dream is to become Hokage. And I intend to help him accomplish that. So for the sake of that student and another who also has her own dreams, I need you to help me teach them."

Takara frowned. "Don't tell me you have-"

The fragile moment was interrupted by a bellow of "KURENAI-SENSEI!"

Kurenai herself winced. "What are they doing here?" she muttered to herself, and rose to investigate. Takara suspiciously followed her out.

"I thought I told you to wait at the restaurant," Kurenai frowned at her genins. She was nothing if not observant, and she saw Naruto's smile falter, for reasons unknown other than her disapproving tone. Her eyes narrowed.

Seeing that neither of her teammates had the decency to explain, Sakura took up the task. "We went to that restaurant you instructed, but the owner didn't want to serve Naruto for some reason. So we left and Naruto got us ramen. We were worried that you couldn't find us so Kiba and Akamaru tracked you here." The girl displayed an uncharacteristic fiddling with her fingers. "Sorry we disobeyed you, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai was too absorbed in anger to hear the second half of Sakura's explanation. How _dare _they refuse to serve her student! She glanced at her genins, saw that they were curiously staring at her face, and fought to keep her composure. She and that restaurant owner would have a nice chat.

"How much did you spend on ramen, Naruto?" she asked. "I'll pay you back; it was supposed to be my treat."

The boy blinked as if he had never heard of having someone 'pay him back' before. He lowered his head and gave her a wobbly grin. "It's fine, Sensei. It doesn't matter; you can treat us next time." He smiled. "But it's gotta be something good!"

She didn't know how her hand had found its way into Naruto's tousled hair and started ruffling it, but it seemed to stun the blonde. "Something good," she agreed. "After the mission."

The sacred word was enough to send Naruto into an excited fever. Kiba's was second only to the blonde. "Mission?" they both exclaimed. Sakura scowled at them, but her the corner of her mouth kept twitching into a smile.

"Do you think we're ready, Kurenai-sensei?" she asked dubiously.

The jounin could see where the girl's uncertainty was coming from. "We'll have to find out, won't we?" Kurenai replied.

Naruto was beyond himself with joy. At this rate, they would probably be the first genin team to receive an official assignment. This very much satisfied the blonde. _Take that, Sasuke! _He was grateful that Kurenai-sensei was giving them the chance so early on; Naruto found himself looking at his mentor with reverence that had also been triggered by the morning's earlier events.

Then he noticed the woman standing behind their sensei. "Eh? Sensei, who's the hag?"

Kurenai stiffened. Takara held no specific loathing toward Naruto. She hated the Nine-Tailed Fox but she did not hold much against its jailor. It was the memories of that fateful day that prevented her from completely accepting the boy. But she did not take well to being christened with uncouthly nicknames.

"Who're you calling 'hag', you _brat?_" she spat. In a flickering motion that informed Kurenai that her teammate's taijutsu had not regressed at all, she was standing behind Naruto with a hand pressed firmly on his head, forcing him to duck his head forward. "Show some respect!"

The sudden movement startled Sakura enough that she let out half a scream, stumbling backward and away from the newcomer until she bumped into Kiba. The Inuzuka boy caught her by the shoulders, his emotions swaying between amusement and dignity. He wondered if he should be standing and watching while Naruto was being openly abused. Akamaru's whine told him that it was perhaps wiser to stay put. The small dog slipped into his master's jacket.

"What's wrong with Akamaru?" Sakura asked, having felt the warm bundle wiggle its way up Kiba's front. She had taken a liking to the puppy and she scratched Akamaru's chin in an attempt to offer him comfort.

"Chakra?" Kiba questioned quietly.

Akamaru whimpered. _"No… but she's strong… stronger than Kurenai-sensei."_

"Eh?" Kiba stared at the woman, who was currently holding off Naruto's struggle to freedom with ease. The Inuzuka shifted his gaze to Kurenai. "Hey, Sensei, just who is that woman?"

Kurenai glanced at her charges. She much as she knew Takara did not agree, it would be for the best if the genins associated with her. "This is Yamane Takara. She was my teammate in our genin and chuunin years."

Naruto, at long last, wrestled himself from the woman's surprisingly strong grip. "Oh, okay." He stepped back two steps and bowed to the woman. "Pleased to meet you, hag."

Kurenai cleared her throat. It would perhaps be better if she was not responsible for the slaughtering of a new genin. "You three go ahead first; I will catch up to you later."

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei," Sakura answered, and she went off, dragging Naruto by the ear.

"You want me to leave Akamaru, Sensei?" Kiba asked, pausing.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you doubting my abilities as a jounin, Kiba?"

"No! Of course not!" Kiba grinned sheepishly and waved once before running off to join his teammates.

Takara watched the kids leave, her attention focused particularly on the blondie. She knew that the kid was the demon container – hardly any adults these days did not. His appearance and behaviour belied his status as the Kyuubi's jailor. He was a natural troublemaker, which gave Takara the impression that she could get to know this kid… too bad his presence alone seemed to trigger sharper pain than a kunai plunging into her slitted wrists.

"Him and the girl need the taijutsu training, right?" she asked without looking at whom she was addressing.

"You still have a sharp eye, Takara. Yes, they are the ones I want you to teach."

"Hmph. I told you; I'm not going to teach them nought. I'm not going to have anything to do with being a ninja anymore, especially not helping someone else be Hokage." She turned and sauntered toward her apartment. "You'd better get going – kids do stupid things when they're excited."

Kurenai did not look back. She knew that she had outstayed her welcome. "Takara?" she asked quietly.

"What?"

"You may not have realised… but you and Naruto are the same."

A chuckle. "Oh trust me – I've realised."

* * *

"Naruto."

"Oh – hi, Sensei."

Kurenai smiled down at her young charge. She had drawn alongside her genins to discover that Naruto had been lagging behind his teammates. Kiba and Sakura were not spared curiosity and the slight tinge of concern. However, when they turned their heads for the last time to check on their solitary teammate and saw that Kurenai was accompanying him, they did not look back again, placing confidence in their mentor to put right whatever had bogged down the usually cheerful Naruto.

It was to be expected. Kurenai had noticed that Naruto's smile had been of the forced kind. He was quietly upset about the turnouts of the morning. Undoubtedly the boy had been through abuse of this sort before. However, the hardest blow must have been dealt with the fact that he had been insulted in the face of his teammates. It was embarrassing and more than a little upsetting.

"If I remember correctly, you want to become Hokage, don't you?"

The grin returned, and it was less artificial than it had been at first. "Yup. Then I'll get some respect!"

"Don't you consider yourself respected?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"How did your teammates react to the restaurant owner's rejection to serve you?"

"Eh? Well, I dunno… just stood there, I suppose. Then we left together."

"And you do not consider their willingness to stand by you a show of respect?"

Naruto was momentarily stunned into silence. "I… I don't know."

Kurenai smiled. "Perhaps you should look closer to home then."

* * *

"Get it, get it, get it!"

"Hah… _gotcha!_ OW! That was my face!"

"Idiot! Don't let go of it!"

"_Meow!"_

"It's getting away again!"

"Akamaru! Pin it down from the other side!"

Kurenai grudgingly acknowledged that her team needed lessons in stealth.

After reporting to the Tower, Team Eight had been tasked with the retrieval of a runaway cat, which coincidentally belonged to the daimyo's wife. Kurenai had been amused; she'd had a similar mission involving the subject's mother, and if she was correct, the ferocious genes tended to pass straight down from mother to offspring.

She was, unfortunately, correct.

It was amusing to watch her charges storm the forest in search of a feline. Akamaru had cut the search short but capturing the target proved to be a greater obstacle than they were prepared for. Looking down at her team while they slipped through the muddier aspects of the unknown, Kurenai wondered if the occasional laughter that echoed among the trees meant that her students were somehow enjoying themselves. Even Sakura seemed wholeheartedly committed to the mission. She did not hesitate to leap off Kiba's back when the offer arose to launch herself at the unsuspecting cat. She ended up slipping into a muddy ditch but quickly picked herself up and rejoined the chase.

"Are you sure you don't want help?" Kurenai called down. She had to squint to discern the grimy genins from the surroundings.

"Yes!" the three genins chorused.

Kiba hated the scent of cat, but it often enticed him to pursue it. He shook his head from side to side in an attempt to get the sludge out of his hair. They were going to bring the entire marsh home if they continued on like this. "Naruto!" the Inuzuka barked. "Give us some clones here!"

This forced a grimy smile on Naruto's face. Flinging dirt from his hands, he formed the hand seal. "Coming right up!"

Five solid copies materialised by his side and they charged forward. Kiba launched himself into the fray, and they piled onto the cat. His triumph was short-lived. The cat struggled insistently and managed to open an escape route by piercing two clones. Alarmed, it fled from its human prison – and darted straight toward Sakura. Startled, the girl could only stumble backward. The cat snarled and raised a claw.

Akamaru leaped off the bank of the marsh and growled gutturally at the other animal. Deterred, the cat changed its course and landed on a small island of dried mud. The two exchanged territorial barks and hisses.

Shaking herself, Sakura drew up a plan in her mind and called to her teammates to prepare themselves.

Kurenai watched with a more interested eye. The cat went frantic as a low-level genjutsu enveloped the area. Where Akamaru had been standing was a menacing bulldog five times his size. It snapped at the cat and it screeched in fear. Recoiling, it turned tail and raced in the opposite direction.

A dozen Narutos came out from the trees, arms outstretched. The shaken cat skidded in the face of the obstruction and frantically looked for another way out. With a yell that made the small animal jump in its skin, Kiba dove forward and caught it in his jacket. "Hah! Not so cocky now, are you?"

Naruto whooped loudly and punched the air, flinging a large chunk of mud skyward.

Dirt matted, filthy and sweaty, the three genins and their sensei trudged back to the Tower to report their mission. Kurenai had wisely volunteered to carry the shell-shocked feline, predicting several more complaints if she referred the duty to one of her charges.

"How did your first mission feel like?" she asked innocently.

The baleful stares told her exactly what her students thought of the mission.

"It sucked," Naruto declared belligerently. "How's catching a cat gonna get me up to Hokage?"

Kurenai sighed; she had been expecting this question. "In addition to acting as the army for their country, a ninja village also acts as a business," she explained. "Clients will come to the village to pay for the services of a ninja. These are jobs that the clients cannot accomplish by themselves."

"More like can't be bothered to chase their cats themselves," Kiba scoffed.

Kurenai smiled. "That too. Have you studied mission ranks before?"

"Yes," Sakura said before Naruto could even consider the question. "There are S, A, B, C and D ranks, in order from deadliest to easiest."

Her answer earned her a nod of warm approval. "That's right. The mission you just undertook was a D-rank." As if in protest to being undermined, the cat squirmed and meowed in her arms, and Kurenai made sure she kept a gentle but firm grip on the furry disaster. "D-rank missions involve close to no combat, so the pay is generally low. These missions are usually given to the new Academy graduates to foster teamwork among the members." She could not resist a grin. "As you three have discovered."

"Getting dirty," Naruto deadpanned. "Getting stuck in mud. That's teamwork?"

"Well, imagine how things would have turned out you didn't have Akamaru to track the target, Naruto's clones to do the dirty work and Sakura to pull everything together."

The genins did, and they came up with simultaneous agreements to "Nightmare," and all three of them sent uneasy glances at the cat in Kurenai's arms.

The jounin chuckled and held the double doors to the Tower open for her charges as they slopped into the foyer and mortified the receptionist with the muddy prints they left on the polished floor.

* * *

A/N: I wanted to change their first mission into something more original, but then I had no ideas that particularly stood out, so I stuck to the cat mission. I'm rather fond of Tora anyway.


	3. All In A Day's Work

**Chapter 3 - All In A Day's Work  
**

"You know, I think they're gonna be late – how 'bout you just go ahead first, Nee-chan?"

Hana raised an eyebrow. "What, you shooing me off, kid? I don't see why you're so uptight about introducing me to your teammates. Come on, it can't be worse than changing your diaper."

The two were at the bottom of the steps that winded up to the park, waiting for Naruto and Sakura to turn up. Kiba sat atop the largest of his sister's Haimaru triplets watching Akamaru taunted his 'brother' by dipping the occasional paw down at the dog whose head he was perched upon. The larger dog, although recognising that it was just The Mutt, snapped playfully back in retaliation. The first time this had happened, Akamaru had scampered into Kiba's jacket in shock. It wasn't until the dog heaved with barking laughter that the puppy indignantly returned to even the grounds.

The run wasn't scheduled until seven, but Hana had insisted they arrive early. "Your teammates are considered as guests, Kiba," she'd said last night when he had reluctantly revealed the contents of his training session. "It won't do to have them wait. Besides, what's not to say that you'll sleep in again if we leave it too late?"

Kiba had done more scowling last night than he had the day his mother had seen him off at the gates of the Academy with a wet kiss on both sides of his face and a boisterously loud "Don't go anywhere without your sister, pup! Don't know when that monster under your bed will decide to show up, eh?" She'd followed it up with roaring laughter that made all those nearby turn their heads to stare - and although he'd only been eight at the time, Kiba learned the meaning of embarrassment faster than anyone his age. It had been the first and last time he had allowed Tsume to escort him to the Academy.

Because of that incident, whenever the words 'monster' and 'bed' were used together in the same sentence, all eyes automatically strayed to Kiba.

"Hey. Kiba."

He glanced at his sister. "What?"

"It'll be fine; it's not like I'm going to bite them."

"You sure about that?" he teased.

She smiled. "Are _you_?" He jammed his tongue out and she raised an eyebrow at the childish gesture. "I don't suppose you remembered to brush your teeth this morning, did you?" she said in a mildly disgusted tone. "It's a wonder you haven't scared off your friends already."

"Leave me alone," he said in a whining tone. Hana smirked.

Kiba brushed his fingers against the fur of the dog he was sitting on. He didn't understand why his sister refused to individually name her dogs. They were the Haimaru Sankyodai – nothing more, nothing less. It really confused Kiba when she called for her canine companions. She could communicate and command them like he did Akamaru, except she did it without the use of names. The nameless triplets gave Kiba a hell of a time trying to discern which one was which. After mistaking the brothers one too many times, Kiba had been forced to give them uncreative names for his own use. He had named them according to their size: Ichimaru, Nimaru and Sanmaru. He was sitting on Ichimaru, the largest.

He also didn't understand why Hana had referred to his teammates as 'friends'.

An Inuzuka's sense of loyalty toward friends and family were very important. Kiba would willingly cripple himself in exchange for the safety of his mother, sister or Akamaru. He would fight to the death for his clan. It wasn't even a question.

But teammates were… teammates. He wasn't complaining about being in a team with Naruto and Sakura; they were strange in their own ways, but he could have been stuck with worse. In some ways, it was fun fooling around with Naruto and bringing out Sakura's mischievous side. But beneath the laughter and playful bickers, there was an unexplainable distance between the three of them. Without Kurenai around to create a bridge for them, the three genins found that the atmosphere could quickly become awkward.

On the other hand, Kiba would be worried if they had managed to bond overnight. No, friendships had to be fostered slowly. Kurenai-sensei would agree with him. Arranging for her students to spend the mornings together had to be one of her well-disguised intentions to slowly bring them closer. Kiba hoped her goodwill would not be in vain. He resolved to be on his best behaviour.

Without warning, the Haimaru Sankyodai began to growl deep in their throats and became restless. Kiba slid off Ichimaru and the grey canine joined his brothers by Hana's side. He was surprised to see that their teeth were bared with suspicion. His sister soothed them with a touch of her hand, all the while keeping her eyes on the two figures that were approaching them.

Kiba recognised the orange jacket and waved to his teammates. He turned to ask Hana why her dogs had been upset, but she had a deep, thoughtful look on her face and he knew better than to interrupt. In any case, the dogs had already settled as if the incident had never happened. Glancing over, Kiba wondered why Akamaru had not reacted.

Naruto fidgeted endlessly. The sleeve of one jacket had been stretched and wrung into a damp mass of fabric that hung longer than the other. He had, upon laying eyes on Kiba's small gathered group, broken the skin on his lower lip, but it had been proficiently healed in a matter of seconds. Sakura frowned at her companion's unusual behaviour. He had been fine when he had shown up on her doorstep – the _real _him, this time – but now he was a grinning ball of nerves.

"Good morning," the newcomers said in unison. Sakura tugged Naruto's sleeve to remind him to bow.

A tall, brown-haired young woman beamed at them. "So you're my brother's teammates, that right? I'm Hana."

They nodded. Sakura bowed once more and introduced herself. When it was his turn, Naruto found himself unable to follow her example. He was a little uncomfortable with meeting new people. A teammate's older sister was a little different from victims of a prank.

Hana smiled expectantly at him, and Naruto felt his jittering nerves settle at the friendly gesture. _Who am I kidding? _he thought as he slowly grinned back._ Since when did I ever care about this sort of stuff?_

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto," he said with brimming confidence. "And I'm gonna be Hokage one day! Just you watch!"

"I'm watching," Hana said, and Naruto's grin widened. He liked her already.

"Let's go already," Kiba muttered, somehow feeling embarrassed by the exchange of formalities.

Scaling the monstrous staircase was daunting as much as it was exhausting. Hana left them behind, smiling, claiming that she 'didn't want to get in the way'. She and her dogs easily bounded up the steps and soon disappeared from view. The genins of Team Eight agreed to walk and set a brisk pace.

Fishing around for conversation, Kiba said, "I asked my mum about that weird grocer guy from yesterday."

Sakura turned to him. "What did she say?"

"What grocer guy?" Naruto asked curiously. "I didn't hear about no grocer guy."

"Well now you did," Sakura huffed. Physical exercise was not her thing and Naruto's badgering was getting on her nerves more than usual. She inwardly winced when she saw his ever-present grin slip slightly. Once again she found herself wondering why it was always _Naruto _who was on the receiving end of her frustrations. She hardly ever snapped at Kiba.

"It's nothing important. We just met someone who knew Kiba's mother, that's all."

Naruto blinked at her quiet, tolerant voice. "Oh. Okay."

Without another word, Sakura lowered her head and painfully picked up the pace. The boys hurried to keep up with her.

"Apparently," Kiba said, filling in the void of silence, "they've worked together on a few missions before he lost his leg. She said he saved Kuromaru's life once… um, Kuromaru's her partner."

There was little talk following that. They had somehow kicked into a light jog and all three wordlessly agreed to focus on conserving their energy.

Several times Sakura wanted to call for a break. She had developed a bad stitch in her side and it was causing her a considerable amount of grief. Miraculously, she managed to persist until her team hauled themselves from the rickety hell and onto the parkland. She sank to her knees on the grass and gulped for air.

Much to his teammates' grief, dead-last Naruto was barely winded. He hunched over, grinning. "Nasty, huh?"

"You're not normal!" Kiba managed to gasp out.

Naruto's smile vanished to be replaced by a look of pure horror.

It did not go by unnoticed. "Naruto… what's wrong?" Sakura asked warily.

The blonde head came up after a quick shake. "Ah, nothing. Just remembered something weird." Naruto laughed unconvincingly.

The arrival of one of Hana's dogs rescued him. The canine was alone and carried a plastic bag in his mouth. It growled a greeting to Kiba and dropped its delivery by his feet. The brown-haired boy stooped to pick it up. "Mm? From Hana? Oh, okay. Tell her I'm going straight to training afterwards."

Naruto accepted the bottle of water Kiba handed to him. "I didn't know you could talk to dogs."

"Sure I can. It's my clan's specialty."

"… You come from a clan?"

Sakura squeezed her bottle to stifle the urge to strangle Naruto for his sheer lack of attention.

Following the break, Kiba led his team on their run. They jogged down the path they had passed through with Kurenai the previous day. There was a thin trail that branched off and led down to the lake, which expressed nature's beauty at its fullest. It was a heaving body of life, the water glimmering off the morning's sunlight and reflecting it gently upon its surroundings.

It was also apparently a popular swimming location for young women. Sakura and Akamaru, with much difficulty, managed to drag the boys away before they were accused of indecency.

They looped behind the Hokage Tower, brushing against the revered stone monument, and proceeded to cut past the outskirts of the village. Few words were exchanged. It did not escape Sakura that the pace conveniently seemed to ease up whenever her breathing started to get strained. She looked toward the boys whenever this happened but they did not seem conscious of it. It was as though they were inadvertently obeying the instinct to stick together. A companionable silence settled between them.

And then it was over.

Sakura collapsed to the ground, smiling despite the pressuring constriction on her chest. "That… wasn't… too… bad," she forced out. She gulped in a lungful of air – it tasted sweet and refreshing.

"Yeah?" Kiba said weakly while he doubled over. He drank the rest of his water and tipped the rest to Akamaru. "This is the first time I actually ran the whole way without stopping. Feels good."

Naruto fanned at his heated face with his hands, his tongue lolling out. His hair stood in all directions when he brushed it from his eyes and refused to be patted back down. Enthusiastically, Akamaru barked for attention and leapt onto the blonde's head, taking up perch on the sweated tresses like it was his rightful throne.

Sakura lifted her head and cracked a smile. "All hail the mighty Akamaru, Lord of Sweat!"

Kiba burst out laughing. A lopsided grin grew on Naruto's face.

The humorous moment passed too quickly. An awkward silence fell like the blade of the guillotine. Akamaru looked at his human companions, cocking his head at their sudden self-consciousness. It was like they were embarrassed by the carefree interaction. Humans were so strange.

Naruto did not like silence. It made him nervous and self-conscious, as if he had done something wrong. He wondered if he had. "So…" he said uncertainly, dragging out the single syllable and desperately searching for something to follow up before his painstaking effort to support conversation expired. "Are we still doing this tomorrow?"

Kiba untied the knot on his jacket indecisively, and then tightened it again. "Do you…want to?"

Naruto shrugged, his mouth twitching. "It's alright, I suppose." His words were chosen with unnatural care. He didn't want to say something awkward and jeopardise the arrangement.

"Kurenai-sensei did sort of instruct us to," Sakura said thoughtfully, concealing hesitation.

Her teammates nodded keenly, relieved to have a solid rationale to cling to.

"Same time tomorrow?" Naruto asked hopefully. His heart lifted when his teammates agreed. A firm grin was returning to his expression. "We still have an hour before we have to meet up with Kurenai-sensei – do you guys want to get ramen? My treat."

Kiba opened his mouth but was beaten by Sakura. "Well… I was actually looking forward to getting home and getting a change of clothes and pick up a shower," she said, and this caused the boys to glance down at their clothing, grimacing.

"Oh." Naruto winced inwardly. _Idiot, idiot,_ he berated himself. He had rushed headfirst into the opportunity too hastily. Sakura and Kiba might not be as eager as he was to establish a concrete friendship – _they _didn't have to deal with being alone.

Sakura saw her blonde teammate's shoulders drop slightly and she bit her lip. She had been trying – _trying _– to be a little nicer to Naruto. After all, he had tried to help her several times and he was actually quite good company when his big mouth was closed.

"You can treat us tomorrow," she suggested in a somewhat brighter tone.

Naruto's face lit up with another grin. "No problem!" Still smiling, he gently easing Akamaru off his head and placed him on the grass. "So I'll see you guys later?"

"Don't be late," Kiba said.

"Am I ever?"

"No doubt about it."

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets, pouting. "Right, right." The three of them started to separate, taking their own paths. He waved once and then turned to head down the staircase. Then he paused and turned back. "Hey! Kiba! Sakura!"

They turned quickly, as if they had been waiting for a final goodbye. "What?" Sakura called across the empty square.

"I, erm…forgot where we're supposed to meet Kurenai-sensei."

"Idiot." Sakura shook her head and was grateful that Naruto was not within hitting distance. "She said…" Her voice trailed off there. She glanced over at Kiba but met only his expectant gaze. Her brow puckered into a frown. "Umm… actually, I don't think she told us."

* * *

Kurenai was a light sleeper – as some witty jounins tended to claim was the cause of her strangely coloured eyes – and so she was well out of her sleeping kimono and slipping into her usual attire when the chuunin rapped his fist sharply against the thick wooden door of the house her parents had left her before killing themselves in a furious struggle during the Third Great Ninja War.

Barely any words were exchanged between she and the dark-haired chuunin except a "Hokage-sama would like to see you". Kurenai merely nodded, and the man snapped into a standard bow to one's superiors before he Shunshin'd away. Kurenai gave her hair a quick brush to make it more presentable and ducked into the kitchen to snag an orange from the fruit basket.

In minutes, she was tossing orange peels into a nearby disposal tin and proceeding to the Hokage's office. The pair of chuunins standing guard outside bowed and opened the doors for her. Kurenai nodded in acknowledgment and strode into the room as the double doors snapped shut behind her.

"You called for me, Hokage-sama?"

The Third Hokage lifted his gaze from the paperwork piled before him. The edges of his eyes crinkled in a welcoming smile. "Yes, I did. Thank you for fulfilling an old man's request so promptly."

Kurenai did not know an appropriate reply that would not instate offense so she bowed her head.

Sarutobi folded his hands before him. "A new season has begun and there are several reservations to be made. I summoned you to clarify if you had particular preferences for a training ground. Be as it might that Asuma, Kakashi and Gai have already named and certified their preferences, it would be rather inconvenient if other teams were to interrupt your training, do you agree?"

"I do," Kurenai answered. "I had been planning to drop by later today to confirm a similar matter. Is training ground twenty-seven available?" She had already gathered her thoughts on her preference the previous night, and had opted for a location that did not differentially appear to be closer to either of her genins' homes. It would not be fair to either of her charges if the others merely had to travel a short distance for training while the other had to suffer from early morning rises.

Shifting through a file and puffing on his pipe, the elder man nodded. "Twenty-seven is currently unreserved. I take it that you intend to put Team Eight's name down for a season?"

"Yes." Training ground reservations could _only _be made for a season to provide squads that had been declined their first choice a second chance to assume temporary possession of their preference. It was also unwise for shinobi to grow accustomed and expectant of any matters, including that of terrain and scenery. It was foolish to train beside a lake for a year, focusing on specific water jutsus, and then have efforts crushed when they were sent to a mission in Suna.

Sarutobi nodded and picked up a pen to fill in a form. Kurenai remained silent as the Hokage's pen scratched across the surface of the paper at a practiced pace. The Third was not a man who strictly followed protocol, so she suspected that she had not been summoned purely for the sake of training ground reservations. Such small matters could be arranged for later when they reported for a mission. The red-eyed jounin came to the silent conclusion that no Hokage would willingly invite paperwork.

The Third expelled regular clouds of smoke and Kurenai realised that, though they did not get along particularly well, Asuma and his father used the same brand of tobacco.

"It is done," Sarutobi said and, closing the file, leaned back into his armchair.

Kurenai waited.

The Hokage regarded her. "How is your team coming along, Kurenai?"

_I thought so_, she mused. "They are developing at a steady pace. As for Naruto…"

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow as her voice trailed off. "Has something happened to him?"

She shook her head. "No. However…it has come to my attention that his personal wellbeing does not appear to be sufficient."

Though he was well informed of such, the Third nodded. "Please elaborate."

Kurenai's brow furrowed. "For starters, his regular diet appears to consist mainly of ramen and meals at Ichiraku's. His meals lack the vegetable sort and I can only assume that it has stunted his physical growth. Another matter that concerns me is his…" She decided that 'sloppy' was not the word to use in front of the village leader. "His understanding of taijutsu is rather unfeasible for one who has been put through the standard Academy lectures. I understand that, as one who tends to seek trouble, he may not satisfy the average knowledge of ninjutsu and genjutsu, but as taijutsu is a physical portion of the syllabus, I doubt Naruto would lack interest in the subject." She allowed a rueful smile to touch her lips. "For all I see, the boy also lacks the ability to sit still."

Sarutobi nodded slowly. He knew all of this. Naruto often sought his companionship, having been deprived of the attention of those his age. Sometimes, when the boy was in a talkative mood, he would explain how he had attempted the standard pranks on his chuunin instructor, and when the Hokage prodded carefully, the blonde would unwittingly reveal that his teacher had somehow forgotten to oversee his shuriken practice. In compensation for his subordinate's 'forgetfulness', the Third often accompanied Naruto in his occasional studies. It seemed that it had not been enough, as Kurenai had pointed out. Naruto had been handicapped from the beginning and it was rather difficult to heal old wounds.

"Kurenai," he said, and the jounin raised her gaze to meet his when she sensed the serious tone in his voice. "I trust that you would only wish for the best of your student. While I have attempted to lessen Naruto's lack of proper instruction, it appears that I have not altogether been successful."

"Why didn't you punish the instructors?" Kurenai inquired quietly.

The Third gave a small smile. "Though I am reluctant to enforce discipline on my subordinates, I am willing to put the older practices to action if anyone breaches the laws I have set. However, by subtly depriving Naruto of teacher-to-student tutelage, the Academy instructors have not broken any laws that are currently in place. The villagers resent Naruto for his uniqueness and even I do not have the power to change the way they think."

Kurenai said nothing, though her eyes had somewhat risen in the crimson shade. A sliver of remembrance filtered into her mind from the previous day.

"_Naruto… tell me… do you feel… lonely?"_

It was impossible not to notice the painful grief that had exuded from the boy.

Or the killing intent that had accompanied it.

It had been a very brief lapse of self-control, but Kurenai had felt it. The hairs on the back of her neck had stood on end as the wave of hatred swept by, and she had been grateful that they had not been among the majority of the village population. She had seen Naruto's shoulders tense and clench at a memory that had obviously brought him pain. She had been afraid that Naruto, beneath the layer of controlled grins and laughs, hated those that taunted his existence. But then he had calmed and the moment had moved on for the more positive turns. Kurenai had carefully steered him away from darker thoughts on onto safer ground.

_It's not like he can be blamed for his less-than-friendly thoughts,_ the jounin thought on a bitter tone. She herself had been enraged at his recollection of his genin years and it was understandable that Naruto had not been fond of the moment.

"Kurenai," Sarutobi said, watching her carefully. She snapped her gaze back to him. "As you are Naruto's sensei, I leave his welfare in your capable hands."

She bowed her head. "Yes, Hokage-sama." She glanced at the wall clock behind the Hokage's desk and discovered that she had a little less than fifteen minutes to meet her genins. She smiled faintly and wondered if they would knowingly accept the challenge she had silently proposed to them. "Excuse me, Lord Hokage, but if there is nothing else I would like to take my leave; I am expected in a short amount of time."

It seemed to shatter a spell that had warped into existence. The Third leaned back in his armchair, resuming the face of the Leaf's strongest shinobi. "Ah, yes, I do apologise for keeping you in an old man's company for so long." He smiled at her. "I trust it was not an endearing experience?"

"I found it very enlightening," Kurenai replied, smiling in return. She bowed and reached for the handle of the door.

"And Kurenai?"

She paused and turned slightly.

"Please take care of Naruto."

She inclined her head in his direction. "I will do my best."

* * *

Sakura brushed back her hair and inspected her reflection in the mirror. "What do you think, Akamaru?" she asked, bending down to the puppy's level where he sat on her bed. Kiba had insisted that Akamaru stayed with her so. Without a doubt, he still remembered the last time she had tried to look for their sensei.

"I don't need the mutt," he'd claimed, and Akamaru had promptly protested indignantly by chewing on the edge of his trouser leg. "Besides, if he smells that I'm off mark, Akamaru can come get me. Right, boy?"

Although she had sputtered her gratitude – much to the interest of an amused Naruto – it didn't begin to cover her relief.

Akamaru barked once and Sakura could almost predict his meaning: _"Kiba's going to beat us there if we don't get going."_ She laughed and picked him up, plucking a grape for him as she passed the kitchen.

Her father had already left for work, and her mother for shopping, so no one was there to wish her a good day and a precaution to keep her clothes clean when Sakura locked her apartment and paused on the doorstep to allow Akamaru to extract his muzzle from her shoulder and sniff around. When it appeared that he had picked up the scent, she let him jump to the ground and lead the way.

She lowered her head as she walked, following the white blur that darted ahead of her, expertly weaving between legs in a fashion that Sakura could not have dreamed to imitate. The morning run around with village with Kiba and Naruto had forced her realise that she was severely deficient in her physical abilities. Kiba had been able to keep pace despite his constant complaints and cursing behind his sister's back – and even Naruto seemed not to have been winded after.

It had been a test of endurance, and she had failed miserably.

Akamaru suddenly growled and left her line of vision. Sakura's head snapped up in time to see a blur streak by the corner of her eye.

"Akamaru?" she blurted, and looked around for the puppy. She did not want to be the one to tell Kiba that she had lost his dog.

Much to her relief, Akamaru was standing just a few feet away from her, wagging his tail and glaring in a way only a canine could. He had a small packet clenched in his teeth. Sakura stared.

"Nice reflexes, pup," a deep voice said to her left. "Can't say the same for you… Sakura, was it?"

She flushed as she turned to bow to the speaker. "Good morning, Tanaka-san."

The jounin-turned-grocer raised a hand in greeting. He chuckled when she attempted to return the paper bag he had thrown. "Keep it. It's for you."

"For… me?" she asked, surprised. She peered inside to discover that it contained an assortment of sweets. _No wonder Akamaru had reacted so quickly, _she thought. Remembering her manners, she bowed once again to Tanaka. "Thank you."

He waved it away. "Off to training?"

That reminded her. "Oh! That's right – I have to get going." Sakura decided not to ask Tanaka about the gift. Something about the man didn't quite qualify him for a stranger although she had only conversed with him once before.

"Right," Tanaka said. He reached to the side for a crate of apples and threw one to Akamaru, who caught it in mid-tumble. "Bye then."

Sakura frowned upon realising that no shopkeeper in the right state of mind would give away his goods _for free_. But then, Tanaka Noboru was like no grocer she had ever come across before.

Akamaru barked again and Sakura glanced up at the sky. She cringed and realised that she had spent too long talking to Tanaka. She fed an amount of chakra to her legs and took to the rooftops.

* * *

"Hey, hey! Sensei!"

Kurenai snapped her book shut and leaned over the edge of the branch she had been sitting on to see an orange-clad figure waving his arms up at her. She smiled and slipped the tome into her pouch. "You're first again."

Naruto grinned and leapt onto the branch above the one his sensei occupied. He sat on the end of it, his legs dangling down, so that he could see Kurenai where she was leaning against the side of the trunk. "You made us track you again," he accused.

"I did, didn't I?"

"But why?"

"A shinobi must be aware of his surroundings and his situation. One cannot immediately assume that answers are automatically supplied." Seeing her pupil's blank expression, Kurenai explained in simpler terms. "I don't want you to rely on given information, Naruto. Sometimes, you have to notice things on your own and decide on the best course of action."

The blonde genin nodded slowly. "So you're saying that I should try and figure out things for myself sometimes."

"Correct."

"Oh. I get it now."

Kurenai nodded. "Do you think you can remember it long enough to explain to Kiba and Sakura in your own time?"

"Why can't youtell them yourself, Sensei?" Naruto frowned. Even he knew why no one ever asked him to remember anything important.

As Kurenai opened her mouth to explain, he waved his hands in front of him. "Wait a minute! Don't tell me yet! Let me figure it out myself." His arms crossed over his chest and his lower lip jutting out as if he were pouting. He was, in fact, trying to concentrate.

The jounin snapped her mouth shut and complied with a slight smile on her face. Naruto learned his lessons quick. He had undoubtedly fostered his quick thinking during the pranks he pulled; it took sufficient skill to avoid the hotheaded chuunins – and sometimes even ANBU – that were dispatched to deal with his antics. Kurenai's expression darkened minimally as her mind swerved toward the better treatment Naruto could have received in the Academy. The boy was not, by any chance, lacking in intellect. He was very bright, and Kurenai was displeased to note that he could have learned more from his 'instructors'.

"Ne… Kurenai-sensei?"

She looked up. "Did you figure it out?"

"Well, yeah – you want me to remember specific information so I can remember the stuff I notice during missions. Or something like that."

"Very good, Naruto," she said approvingly.

He grinned and rubbed the back of his head. Then his mood regulated and he shifted uncomfortably. "Sensei?"

Kurenai knew instantly that he had a particular matter to address. Neither Kiba nor Sakura had arrived yet and the jounin diverted the majority of her attention to her present pupil. "Yes, what is it?"

Naruto shuffled about. "If I wanted to talk to you… would you listen?"

She found her eyebrow arcing up, accompanied by a flare of surprise. "Of course I would." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Should I not?"

"That's not what I meant," he said quickly, once again waving his hands in front of him. "I was just wondering because Iruka-sensei was pretty much the only one who would listen to me and…" His voice faltered. "He told me that teachers always listen to students," he continued in a whisper. "And you're my sensei so I thought…"

Kurenai's fingers unconsciously curled into a fist and she had the suddenly longing to land them on a particular group of Academy instructors.

"Naruto," she said in a firm voice, causing him to look into her serious eyes. "Umino Iruka was right; I am your sensei. If you have any doubts or feel the need to talk to someone, I want you to know that you can always come to me. And don't forget about your teammates. Is that clear?" she asked sternly.

He nodded.

"One last time, Naruto; being in a team means that you are not alone."

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei."

Satisfied though still fighting off irritation at certain chuunins, Kurenai leaned back into the trunk of the tree. "Now what was it you wanted to discuss?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Me." Before Kurenai could inquire, he went on. "I know that there are lots of problems with me. Like… you know." Naruto shrugged a little uncomfortable. "I could never break out of a genjutsu properly at school, my taijutsu stinks and I only know a few ninjutsu." He paused. "And I'm short."

Kurenai stared at his candid confession. Well, at least he was honest. "Genjutsu is my specialty and I know that some people are naturally talented at the art while others cannot perform it at all. Naruto, don't be too concerned about your inability to release yourself from a genjutsu. Dispelling and casting are two different things."

Naruto sat up straighter. "So you're saying I might be able to do genjutsu? Like, actually _do _it?"

As much as she hated to put her foot down on the boy's hopes, Kurenai did not want to encourage him to take down the wrong path. "With some difficulty, yes." Seeing him frown at 'difficulty', the jounin explained. "Genjutsu relies on acute manipulation of chakra. With your enormous chakra reserves, you would barely feel the drain, and therefore would distort the illusion."

Although Naruto could not honestly say that he had understood everything, he managed to pull out his sensei's primary implication; _"It's better off if you don't specialise in genjutsu."_

"Sakura would be suitable for genjutsu," Kurenai said thoughtfully. "She has very good chakra control."

Naruto smiled. "Sakura-chan's good at everything," he said ruefully.

"Not entirely," Kurenai disagreed. "Like you, Sakura needs to reinforce her taijutsu. Once I find a suitable tutor, the two of you will be training together under the same sensei."

Brief joy at Sakura's future companionship rose, only to be forced back down when he digested the rest of Kurenai's words. "You're not going to be the one teaching us?" he asked, disappointed.

"My taijutsu is merely adequate," she said gently. "Your skills would improve dramatically if you were under the tutelage of a taijutsu specialist."

Naruto nodded, though still slightly let down. "So who's going to be teaching us?"

A grimace pulled on Kurenai's pursed lips. Her appeal to Takara had not gone very well. She had planned to shoot down two birds with one stone; Naruto and Sakura would have a suitable teacher, and Takara would have an incentive to motivate her to do more with her life. Kurenai knew her old friend too well; anything she tried would not faze her.

But maybe a certain Uzumaki Naruto could.

Feeling somewhat sly, Kurenai said, "Naruto, listen up."

He straightened with a grin. "Hai!" he barked.

"Do you remember the woman you met yesterday?"

He cocked his head. "The hag?"

Kurenai cleared her throat. "Yes. Her name is Yamane Takara. She is an old friend of mine. I asked her to tutor you and Sakura."

By this point, Naruto was bouncing up and down on his branch and Kurenai retracted her legs in case the bough the bough snapped and fell. "So what're we waiting for?" he asked eagerly. "When can we start?"

"Takara no longer wishes to be associated with the shinobi kind," Kurenai said, feeling a spot of nurtured sadness rise. "She refuses to teach you."

"WHAT?"

She winced. "Naruto, I think I can hear you perfectly fine without you shouting."

He clamped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry, Sensei," he said, his voice muffled.

"Do you remember where Takara lives?"

Naruto cocked his head for a moment. "I can ask Kiba," he said finally.

"I want you to talk to Takara and, if possible, convince her to oversee your taijutsu."

"I can do that."

"I know you can," she said, giving him a small smile. Then her expression became serious. "If she insists on refusing, I want you to know when to stop. Forcing others to do something they don't want to do will only cause both sides pain. Do you understand?"

"Hai! I'll be good."

Kurenai hid a smile. Despite his intentions, she wondered how 'good' Naruto could be. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

He thought for a moment and shook his head. "No."

"Then let's get down to the ground. Kiba and Sakura should be here soon."

They had to wait only a few minutes Kurenai curiously noted that Kiba had allowed Sakura to borrow Akamaru. The jounin knew from experience that Inuzuka clansmen were fiercely loyal to those that earned their friendship. The knowledge that Kiba would look out for his teammates brought with it a certain comfort. Kurenai was relying on him to act as a leader figure. Naruto would also suffice for the role, but he had to learn to be silent and observe before he was suitable. Both the boys were competitive and Kurenai found herself hoping that it would not come to blows.

A quick debriefing followed. The newcomers looked inquisitively at Naruto when Kurenai told them that he had something to explain to them. Naruto was momentarily unsettled by the attention but quickly overcame it and relayed the message with surprisingly accuracy, albeit minced with his own interpretations. After informing her students to report to the current training ground each morning, Kurenai set Kiba and Naruto on a taijutsu spar against each other.

Sakura stood with Kurenai by the sidelines. The jounin watched the match and analysed the two combatants. Naruto was accustomed to stealth and the ability to avoid pursuers, and this seemed to put Kiba's patience to test. The blonde's unpredictability allowed him to constantly put his opponent on guard, but being more experienced Kiba managed to maintain the upper hand.

Watching Naruto grin as he rose after being knocked to the grin, shaking his head, Sakura found herself doubting his nature. He wasn't very different from Kiba, if she thought about it. The realisation frustrated her. She couldn't even come to terms with her own judgement – and she expected herself to be able to work with these people for years to come?

"Kurenai-sensei?" she asked tentatively, looking up at the jounin.

"Yes, Sakura?" The tone in Sakura's voice reminded Kurenai of her previous discussion with Naruto. She wondered if she would once again have to play counsellor.

The girl hesitated. _Oh, to hell with pride_. "Sensei… I think I'm not being particularly friendly to Naruto and, well, I don't know why." She shuffled uncomfortably from leg to leg as if awaiting punishment.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. It took courage to confess to something like that. "Go on," she encouraged.

It had felt like a good idea at the time but Sakura already regretted speaking up at all. It was too late to pull out now. "Well, whenever he fools around, I want to hit him. But lately I've been thinking that, maybe, I don't even know the difference between what's stupid and what's not. It… feels like I'm not even giving him a chance and…" She bit her lip. "And it doesn't feel like I'm treating him like a teammate."

Kurenai watched the spar as she took a moment to absorb her student's words. Naruto was having the worst possible time landing a blow, but he was barely winded whereas Kiba was starting to slow down. "Do you know why you feel that way? Naruto seems to like you very much," she said lightly.

Sakura blushed and she twisted the hem of her dress. "I thought it was his crush on me at first," she admitted. "I thought that was why he was so annoying… but then I thought that it wasn't right." She paused. "I mean, I like Sasuke and I know I annoy him sometimes, but _he _doesn't hit me when I'm drooling over him."

She did not realise that she had said it aloud until Kurenai chuckled.

"Very perceptive," the jounin noted.

Sakura turned bright red and lowered her head to the point that she could see her chin.

"Sakura."

She hesitantly raised her head to see Kurenai's kind smile. "S-Sensei?"

"What do you think of Naruto?"

"What I think…?_"_ Sakura watched him sweep a low kick at Kiba only to look up a moment later in time to catch a mouthful of the latter's foot. He landed heavily on his behind. "He's an idiot," she said slowly. "But he's not too bad. He wanted to treat us to ramen this morning."

"Did you accept?"

She lowered her head again. "Not today. I was really dirty after the run and I wanted to take a shower before training. But I told him that he could treat us tomorrow, because he looked… kind of sad."

Kurenai nodded. "That was very considerate of you, Sakura."

"But Sensei… why does everyone _hate _him? Yesterday at the restaurant…"

Thankfully at that moment Kiba was knocked back by a solid kick from Naruto and it gave Kurenai and excuse to avoid answering Sakura's question. She called for the end of the match. Naruto was panting hard, but he looked very satisfied and was grinning. Kiba ruefully brushed himself off and offered to pull the shorter boy to his feet.

Kurenai sparred briefly with Sakura to allow the boys to rest. When the pink-haired girl appeared to be winded – which did not take long – the jounin allowed her to join her teammates on the sidelines. Sakura eventually pulled out a small bag of sweets and divided them up among the three genins and Akamaru. She smiled a little when they enthusiastically thanked her.

Watching them, Kurenai knew that Sakura did not hate Naruto. Many children's attitudes toward Naruto were influenced by that of the adults around them. The older generation of Konoha wanted the young demon container dead, but as that was a crime in itself, they resorted to subtle forms of abhorrence behind the boy's back. The children had picked up this resentment from their parents' disapproval, leaving Naruto friendless. Sakura would have to learn to deal with her own judgment and not follow those already set out for her. Kiba seemed impartial but Kurenai knew better than to think that he did not dwell deeply on his thoughts. Books should not be judged by their cover.

When Team Eight reported to the Hokage Tower for a mission, Naruto and Kiba boldly refused to hunt for Tora the cat again. Amused, Kurenai let them have their way. Sharing her teammates' sentiment, Sakura negotiated with the chuunin on duty for another mission. She and the boys collectively decided on a mission to repair a bridge. The overpass had collapsed a couple of days ago and a group of housewives complained that there was not enough space for everyone to wash their clothes on only one side of the stream.

Kurenai inspected the bridge upon arriving. Most of it was still intact, but the gaping absence of several logs of wood in the centre of the bridge was wide enough to be a bother. The structure was fairly simple; a mass of logs bound together by several ropes and suspended above the running stream. They would need to cut down a tree or two.

"This is gonna be easy," Naruto boasted, and leaped over to the other side. "Let's get started already!"

Kurenai smiled faintly at her student's enthusiasm. "First, we'll need logs. Kiba and Akamaru, I'm putting you in charge of that," she directed. "Naruto, send some clones to carry the logs here. Measure the length required and cut them up accordingly. Sakura, come with me and I'll show you how to bind the rope."

Kiba grumbled as he slid back the sleeves of his jacket. "Maybe we should have chosen something else."

"Come on, lazy!" Naruto shouted from across the narrow lake. "We can go grab another mission after this one."

"It also depends how quickly you can get this finished," Kurenai minded. "After all, taking too long means that there might not be any other missions left except the cat one." She let a rare grin slide into her expression. "But the last time I checked, Kiba, you and Tora were getting on quite well. Perhaps…"

Kiba looked appalled. "Actually, fixing a bridge isn't so bad," he said hastily. "Come on, Akamaru!"

"Kiba," Kurenai called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Watch out for splinters."

"Will do."

She paused, and then in a voice loud enough for Naruto, added, "If we have spare time I'll teach you a basic skill that will make learning new techniques easier."

Naruto grinned widely. He liked the sound of that. He wanted to learn some cool and powerful… and explosive. He cackled inwardly. "Ne, ne – can you teach us how to make things go 'BANG' one day, Kurenai-sensei?"

"I don't even want to imagine what you'll do with that," she sighed.

Sakura didn't either. "Sensei's not going to teach us anything if you keep wasting time, Naruto," she told him. "Get working already!"

"Yosh! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"


	4. For Her Sake

**Chapter 4 - For Her Sake**

"One more miso ramen, ojii-san!" Naruto called loudly to Ichiraku Teuchi.

Blinking, Kiba counted the number of empty bowls stacked in front of the happy eater. "… Remind me never to take you here if it's ever my turn to treat."

"Yeah, well, I'm hungry! That long run had me beat!"

"It had me beat, too," Sakura pointed out dryly. "You don't see meshovelling food in my mouth."

"Hey, I got up early to practice that tree thingy as well."

The pink-haired girl blinked. "You still haven't gotten the hang of it?"

Naruto just grinned sheepishly.

Teuchi placed a steaming bowl in front of his favourite customer. "Don't worry about it, Naruto; you'll get it under your belt eventually. Nothing's impossible." He smiled as Naruto grinned back at him, and then dove into his eighth bowl.

Sakura edged away slightly to avoid getting bowled over by Naruto's quick arm movements. She thought the tree-walking exercise was actually quite basic and easy to grasp. It had taken her a few times to calculate the correct amount of chakra to apply to her feet and keep it flowing steadily as she ran up the tree trunk. On the other hand, Kurenai had told her that she happened to have intense chakra control, so she couldn't even imagine how hard it was to Naruto. Kiba had also taken a few tumbles, and if Sakura recalled correctly, he hadn't progressed more than fifteen feet, with Naruto mustering a mere eight.

Meanwhile, Kiba gloated. "I can do it ten times in a row without a hitch – awesome, aren't I?"

Naruto pouted. "Aw man! So it's only me that can't do it? That's so not fair."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Ten times, Kiba? How tall was the tree?"

"For your information, it was taller than the one me and Akamaru cut down yesterday," he boasted.

"Uh huh. And what did you have to do to get Hana-san to help you?"

"Not much. Just have to wash-" Kiba stopped and slapped his forehead. "Ah, damn it."

Sakura smirked. She was starting to see the joys of teasing someone, instead of being on the receiving end.

After the meal, Naruto took out a green, frog-shaped wallet and put it on display for his companions. "Meet Gama-chan, guys!"

"Gama-chan," Kiba said in a monotone, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You have a flair for naming things, Naruto."

"Really? I think so too."

Sakura was slightly mortified to notice that paying for the meal had almost depleted Gama-chan's contents. It was no secret that Naruto was an orphan and lived off the allowance he received from the village's support network. Given how many bowls of ramen he had consumed, he was in no position to be paying for his teammates.

So why did he look so happy?

At that moment Naruto turned his head to give her a curious look, as if he had felt her gaze on him. "Did you like Ichiraku's, Sakura-chan?"

She wondered if anything short of a positive answer would embarrass him. She didn't want him to feel obliged to take them to a higher-class restaurant. With a vague smile, she said, "The teriyaki ramen was nice."

He gave her a bright grin. There was a noticeable spring in his step.

He suddenly remembered. "Ah… Kiba?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"You know that creepy woman from a couple of days ago? Sensei's old teammate?"

Kiba cocked his head. "What about her?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly; asking for a favour tended to paint one side of a person with embarrassment. "Well, Kurenai-sensei told me that she was going to get her to teach me and Sakura some taijutsu and-"

"Really?" Sakura interrupted hopefully.

"Yeah… but she doesn't want to teach us."

Seeing Sakura's shoulders slump dejectedly, Naruto vowed that, no matter what it took, he would get Yamane Takara to teach them.

Kiba frowned. "That's not very nice. Let's go nag her."

Naruto blinked. "What, _now_? We have to meet up with Kurenai-sensei in half an hour…"

"We'll be back by then," the taller boy said confidently. With a single swipe that somehow managed to hook onto both his teammates, he dragged them after Akamaru, who had bounded ahead to lead the way.

* * *

She blamed Kurenai.

"Aw, come on, hag! Good deeds give you less wrinkles!"

"Naruto! I don't think that's helping very much."

"Come on, come on! It's not nice to leave someone in need."

"_Pleeeaase?"_

Yes, she blamed Kurenai.

"SHUT UP!" Takara erupted.

It worked. For ten seconds.

The boy dressed in outrageous orange frowned. "Why won't you teach us?" he asked. He pulled out a chair and raised a leg onto it, hoping to intimidate the woman.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed. "That's rude!"

For once in his life, Naruto ignored his Sakura-chan.

Takara put down her cup and raised her head to meet his gaze. Her dark eyes were ominous. Naruto swallowed, but kept his somewhat dominating position.

Slowly, her hand raised and a finger crooked toward herself. Warily, Naruto leaned in. Behind him, Kiba and Sakura held their breath. Akamaru huddled in his master's jacket, only the tip of his nose sticking out.

"Wh-what?" Naruto said uncertainly. Their faces were barely an inch apart, their foreheads almost touching.

She slammed her head into his with such force that he was knocked back against the wall.

Kiba yelled angrily. Sakura caught Naruto by the arms when he staggered into her and tried to steady him. "That _hurt_," he said dazedly. His hitai-ate had been knocked off and his brow was bruised.

"What the hell was that for?" Kiba demanded furiously.

Naruto mumbled something under his breath and pulled away from Sakura, surprising the girl; she would have thought that he would appreciate the close contact she had allowed him. Instead, he snatched his forehead protector off the floor and retied it around his head, all the while glaring at Takara. "What have you got against us?" he scowled.

"You – blondie," Takara drawled, dangling an empty cup by the tips of her fingers, "why did you become a shinobi?

Naruto drew back. "Eh? I…" He raised a clenched fist. "To become Hokage, of course! I'm gonna be the strongest ninja in this village!"

She stared at him. And then she laughed.

The genin was taken aback. "What's wrong with you?"

She continued to laugh.

Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably. Why did Kurenai-sensei want this woman to be their taijutsu teacher? There was something about Yamane Takara, something dark and bitter, that unsettled her.

Despite appearances, Yamane Takara was _dangerous_.

Not that it made Sakura feel any better.

"Let's go," she said quietly, tugging at both Naruto's and Kiba's jackets. The boys turned, both glaring, but their gaze softened when they noticed exactly how uncomfortable their teammate was to remain in the older woman's presence. Sakura continued in a mumble, "We only have ten minutes left… let's not make Kurenai-sensei wait."

"Sakura…" Naruto turned back to Takara. "Fine. We're leaving – but don't think you've won." As they walked away from the woman, he tossed the last comment over his shoulder. "You're just scared to teach the future Hokage!"

Takara blinked, but he was gone.

"_What, you scared, Takara?"_

Her eyes widened as Masuru's voice echoed in her head. Grunting, Takara knocked the saké bottles off the table. They broke with a crash, chipped glass ricocheting into the dark corners. She dully watched one of the chipped cups spin on the floor.

Silence had barely settled when Takara abruptly pivoted and sent her fist smashing into the wall behind her. The aged partition split with cracks, shaking the very structure of the building.

Many heaving breaths later, Takara extracted her hand from the crater she had crushed and calmly bandaged her bloodied knuckles.

* * *

Kurenai was sceptical when her genins arrived at the training ground, strangely subdued. She set the boys to the basic chakra control exercise she had showed them the previous day. As soon as she turned to Sakura, Kiba and Naruto raced competitively for the trees, and Kurenai knew she did not have to worry about them. She took her remaining student aside to the lake behind the clearing. From what she had seen, Sakura was ready to advance to the next stage.

She demonstrated the walking on water exercise and supervised Sakura until she made progress. When she checked back on the boys, Kurenai did not know whether to be surprised or pleased when she discovered that Naruto had managed to reach one of the higher branches where he had still been struggling to get far off the ground only the day before. His mouth was closed in a grim, determined slash and the jounin noticed that Kiba frequently glanced at his teammate with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

It did not take a genius to come to the conclusion that something was bothering her team.

Kurenai returned to Sakura to find that the girl was already rising off the water's surface. Only the hem of her dress had been soaked and it appeared to be drying already. Kurenai leaned against one of the trees in the background and silently observed her student's progress.

Sakura barely noticed the water lapping against her toes. The chakra exercise Kurenai-sensei had showed her was basically a more difficult variation of the tree-walking exercise. The main objective was to gather chakra at the feet and maintain the flow even against the water's roiling surface. It was surprisingly difficult.

Her concentration was filled with holes. Her mind refused to turn away from the confrontation with Yamane Takara. Sakura was aware that, while her chakra control was above average, she did not particularly excel at anything else. Her only talent lay in genjutsu; her arsenal of ninjutsu did not extend past Academy-level and her taijutsu… she didn't even want to start on her taijutsu.

If she did not improve, could she even qualify as a kunoichi?

"Sakura." Kurenai's voice almost threw Sakura into the wavering arms of the lake.

Shaken, the genin turned slowly to the shore. "Y-Yes, sensei?"

"Get off the water."

Sakura frowned; did Kurenai not think that she was capable? But then she checked her chakra reserves and discovered that they barely scraped the minimum. Mortified, Sakura padded carefully to land.

She did not realise that she had exerted such a large portion of her chakra. The effect became painfully clear when she heaved herself onto the grass. Her legs buckled beneath her. A pair of hands gripped her shoulders, and Sakura looked up to see Kurenai staring down at her.

"That was dangerous, Sakura," the jounin said quietly. "If I hadn't been watching, you would have suffered from chakra exhaustion and possibly drowned."

Sakura winced. "I'm sorry, Sensei. I… I was distracted and didn't notice that-" Her babble was cut off as Kurenai eased her to the ground and placed a cool hand on her forehead. Sakura felt her mind settle and remained down until she felt the burning in her hara ebb away. "Umm… I think I feel better now, Sensei."

Kurenai helped her student sit up. "I thought you would have had the common sense to monitor your chakra levels," she said wryly, a small smile touching her lips as the genin's shoulders fell with disappointment. "It appears that I misjudged your abilities, Sakura. Would you rather spend more time on the tree-walking exercise?"

"No!" Sakura said quickly. Then, realising that she had practically shouted her disagreement, she lowered her head and mumbled an apology.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Sakura, I didn't think that I would need to tell you this the way I had to Naruto, but it seems that you don't understand my role as your jounin instructor."

She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Kurenai lowered herself to sit beside her pupil, her legs crossed. "I am not here merely to supervise. I am your mentor. It is my responsibility to oversee your growth and help you along when you need guidance. That means you can talk to me." She looked into the girl's wide eyes. "Are we on the same page?"

She nodded.

It amused as much as confused Kurenai to realise that Naruto and Sakura were strangely alike.

Sakura turned her gaze to the lake, her eyes glazing over in thought as she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Sensei…" she said hesitantly in a small voice. "Do you think I'm… weak?"

"Definitely not."

It failed to make her feel better, but it did relieve her of a certain burden; Kurenai-sensei had no problem with her being a minor hindrance, and Sakura's fears of being booted off the team were erased.

"But, Kurenai-sensei, if your role is as our mentor, then what is mine?"

Kurenai's brow furrowed. Sakura looked lost. "Your role, Sakura," she said gently, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder, "is as a tactician."

Sakura turned to her with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Naruto's and Kiba's strengths lie in offense, but there is more to a fight than just brute strength," the red-eyed woman explained patiently. "Sakura, your understanding of the field and ability to observe an opponent is a great asset. You can guide your team from danger and be their commander when they need you."

"But that's your job," Sakura said hurriedly. "I wouldn't think to replace you."

The jounin smiled deprecatingly. "Shinobi do not stay in teams forever. Understand that the risks of being a jounin are exceptionally higher than those of the average shinobi. You have to be prepared to be faced with a situation where I may not be there to lead you. You have to learn to survive in your own."

"Kurenai-sensei!" Sakura gasped in horror.

"Life does not last, Sakura. We're only human. The people you meet will not always be there." Kurenai paused to allow her words to sink in. "Of course, there will also be occasions where the three of you will be sent on missions without me, especially when you become chuunin. When that happens, I am relying on you to keep the boys alive. You know how thoughtless they can be."

Sakura took the hand the jounin offered her and allowed herself be pulled to her feet. They walked back to the training ground and found Naruto dashing recklessly up a tree, the trunk scarred by many cuts. Kiba watched his progress from the topmost branch and sniggered heartlessly when Naruto somehow managed to lose a sandal, yelped, and fell.

A team where careless teammates needed her guidance, where she needed their protection, where their sensei – their mentor – taught her students about life itself – a team where one's survival could depend almost entirely on the actions and decisions of another.

Sakura could get used to that.

* * *

"Ah, Naruto!" Teuchi leaned over the counter to converse with his favourite customer. "How was your day, boy?"

Naruto grinned. "It was good. We got given this mission to walk this wild pack of dogs and there was this big mutt that almost dragged me into an electric fence. But lucky Akamaru got him to turn around, or I would've been toast!"

The owner of the ramen stand levered himself off the counter to prepare the regular ramen for his customer. "That's not quite the life-risking mission I had in mind. Do ninja these days really graduate to walk dogs?"

Naruto shook his head. "Kurenai-sensei says that these missions are important too," he told Teuchi, with a small hint of defensiveness on his sensei's behalf. "She told me that these missions help us work together better and that when we're strong enough, we'll be taking missions outside the village."

It was not until he noticed Ayame's wide-eyed stare that he realised that he had perhaps spoken a little fiercely. He winced and bowed his head to Teuchi and his daughter, shamefacedly awaiting his punishment. Ichiraku's was pretty much the only restaurant in the village that was willing to serve the demon fox's container, and Naruto feared that he had blown it again.

But Teuchi was smiling when he laid a steaming bowl of ramen in front of the boy. "It seems to me that you and your sensei are getting on very well, hm?"

Naruto, relieved, could only grin. "Yeah," he said, his voice rising in its usual confidence and loudness. "Kurenai-sensei is nice."

A plate of steamed vegetables and several slices of beef caught his eye as he reached for his chopsticks. He looked up questioningly at Teuchi. "I didn't order this," he said, nudging the plate forward.

Teuchi pushed it back toward him. "It's yours," he assured. His young customer frowned, and Teuchi made a small gesture. "Your sensei came by earlier and told me that she was concerned with your height," he grinned, and the boy's eyes widened. "So from now on, my job is to make sure you eat your vegetables and enough meat. Ramen is good, but it thankfully isn't the only thing this old man is capable of making."

"But I-"

"She's already paid enough to keep you fed for a season. You'll still be paying for the ramen, though." Teuchi watched the blonde, who was staring at his meal with a mixture of emotions that the man had never before seen on the boy's face. "You have one hell of a sensei, Naruto," he added, and whispered a silent word of gratitude to the woman; it was about time the poor boy found someone who cared.

After a long pause, Naruto slowly picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.

* * *

Yuuhi Kurenai was new to mentoring a genin team, so she could only assume that it was normal for a student to pay his sensei a visit during the night.

She raised an eyebrow when she opened her front door to reveal the subdued genin. It had started drizzling lightly a little while ago and she wondered if her home had been sought as shelter – but then she realised that it was not the sort of thing Naruto would do.

After managed to convince him out of his damp jacket, she sat him down in front of the blazing fireplace to warm. Then she went to the kitchen to make tea for the two of them.

She knew he was standing behind her, waiting, before she turned to open the cupboard.

"I went to Ichiraku's."

Kurenai nodded and took out a packet of teabags.

He raised his head to look up at her, his gaze somewhat forlorn. "Why?" he asked quietly, biting his lower lip. "I don't get it. Why would you do this for me?"

Naruto's words were infused with so many unreadable emotions that Kurenai took a long while to compose her reply. She settled on, "I'm supposed to look after you."

Naruto frowned. "So were those guys at the orphanage," he muttered, his hands curling into tense fists. "So were the instructors at the Academy. So were my parents."

He was too distracted to notice Kurenai stiffen.

"But _they _didn't," he continued, looking at her although her back was turned to him. "They were supposed to look after me. Why didn't they? Why would you? I don't understand!"

She stuck a kettle under the gushing tap and placed it on the stove to heat. Then she turned around to face her student. "What don't you understand, Naruto?" she asked softly. She was saddened that a simple friendly gesture would reveal just how broken the boy was beneath his smiles, just how unwilling he was to invest in trust.

"Everything!" he burst out. "I've got the damned Nine-Tailed-"

He broke off abruptly, his eyes wide with horror.

Kurenai reached out and patted his shoulder. "I know, Naruto," she said.

Naruto nodded numbly. His voice had abandoned him, along with the usual dismay that revealing his true identity brought him. He was too confused.

"Naruto, look at me," Kurenai said firmly, and he did. "Some people hate you for what you imprison for their wellbeing – they are fools. They are shallow-minded fools who have do not understand that the Yondaime was not the only hero that day."

Awestruck, Naruto mouth popped open.

"Do you consider me shallow-minded?"

He shook his head quickly. "Of course not, Sensei!"

"I would hope not," she smiled dryly. "You asked me why I felt obliged to look after you. Do I need more reason other than the fact that you are my student? I don't think-"

She never managed to finish her sentence, because Naruto chose that exact moment to fling himself at her and wrap his arms tightly around her waist.

Kurenai staggered back in surprise, trying to remember anything from her years as a kunoichi that would help her deal with an emotional genin. The only instinct she had to comfort the boy was to hug him back, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back and the other gently ruffling the back of his hair. It seemed to be enough for Naruto, who suddenly felt like the little brother that she had never had.

The kettle screeched somewhere behind them and Kurenai absently flicked it off – but the moment had already been disrupted.

Naruto hastily pulled away, embarrassed beyond words. Then, when he hesitantly raised his gaze to see Kurenai's raised eyebrows and small smile, he carefully translated his expression into a shy grin.

Over tea, Kurenai was regaled with his history of witty pranks, which she gently warned disapproval of. Embarrassed yet somewhat pleased, Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned.

"How about you tell me how you found my address? I'm curious."

"Oh, that was easy." Naruto sounded flippant. "I just had to ask Iruka-sensei. I saw before that he had this bunch of files about this year's genin teams, so I thought I'd ask him if I could see it."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "And he let you?"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and it told her all she needed to know. He even cringed slightly, but he soon learned that the jounin was more amused than livid. So he quickly relayed how his immaculate disguise had allowed him to transform briefly into Umino Iruka and enter the Academy's staffroom.

"They didn't catch you?" Kurenai was slightly baffled. For a genin to have fooled an entire room of chuunin was… rare.

"Nope! I even sat down for half an hour and did some work for him," he said, grinning. "It would've looked weird if I went in, looked at some stuff and then went out again."

Kurenai felt that she needed to see this for herself. "Show me your transformation jutsu, Naruto." Remembering the parting words of advice Iruka had given her, she added dryly. "Of your Academy teacher. Nothing else."

Naruto only grinned. He wouldn't have dared to try pulling off his Oiroke no Jutsu on Kurenai.

He formed the handseals and concentrated. "Henge!"

Kurenai continued to blink long after the smoke had dispersed. Now standing on her doorstep was one Iruka Umino, looking slightly dishevelled as if he had just tamed a horde of little devils. He even had a slight tear in his vest to suggest that he had been a little slow to pick up his students' intentions during weapons class. A small, polite smile completed the convincing doppelganger.

Kurenai was mildly impressed. Had she not been a genjutsu specialist, Naruto's impersonation would definitely have fooled her from a short distance away. If Naruto had decided to show up on her doorstep in this guise, she might not have recognised him right away.

"I can see how you managed to trick the other teachers," she approved.

Umino Iruka vanished, to be replaced by a grinning Naruto. "You sure you don't want to see my otherjutsu, Sensei?" he asked cheekily.

She stared pointedly at him.

"Just joking! Sakura-chan would kill me if I used that again."

Kurenai poured more tea into both of their cups. "Sakura came to talk to me yesterday. About you."

Naruto looked surprised. "Me?" Then he stared down at his feet. "Did she say she didn't want to be on a team with me?" he mumbled.

Kurenai blinked; that had come uncalled for. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Well, I know she wanted to be on a team with Sasuke – and she was really mad when she realised that _I _was on her team instead. She's not happy about it, and she always hits me so I thought… yeah."

"I see… Have you realised that she is also bothered by her attitude toward you?" his sensei asked.

"What does that mean?" Naruto frowned.

Kurenai sighed. "Sakura is not hostile by nature. I would hazard a guess that she does not make quite as big a point of making fun of you when certain people are not nearby."

"Like Sasuke," the genin said dryly. The stuck up bastard was all Sakura would ever talk about when Naruto, on Kami's whim of luck, managed to strike up conversation with her. It was always 'Sasuke this' and 'Sasuke that'. Except for the occasions when Naruto managed to slip in an insult of the Uchiha in the midst of getting pummelled. _Then _it would be 'Naruto this' and 'Naruto that' – but even then it didn't last.

Nodding, Kurenai continued to say, "Sakura told me that she feels that she is not treating you like a teammate."

Naruto's head shot up. "She did?" he asked incredulously.

"Does that surprise you?" Kurenai did not wait for an answer she knew she would not receive. "I know that you have more potential than you let on, Naruto. You hide it by constantly drawing attention to yourself, but this in itself sometimes irritates those around you. Like Sakura, for example." She could see that her student was contemplating deeply on her words. "I understand why you want to impress others, but it might be time for you to realise that there are other ways to do that."

Naruto fidgeted. He knew he wasn't in trouble, but it didn't lessen his discomfort any. Everything Kurenai had pointed out was true. Maybe he had unknowingly worsened the village's opinions of him.

"So what should I do, Kurenai-sensei?" he asked finally, looking up at his mentor for the guidance that he knew she was so adept at providing.

The jounin put her cup down. "You should act like yourself and not an idiot. You should know better than I do what attracts trouble and Sakura's irritation. You need to earn the respect."

He nodded, eagerly filing away the advice.

Kurenai paused to gather her thoughts, wondering how she should phrase what she was about to say next. Sensing that there was more to come, Naruto waited. She ultimately decided not to mince her words. "Try not to hold Sakura's actions against her," she told him in a soft voice.

"I… don't think I understand," Naruto ended up admitting after almost a minute of silence. Kurenai had expected him to.

"I believe you know of the Third Hokage's law regarding your prisoner," she said quietly. The tension in his jaw indicated that he did. "His law prevents the public from discussing the demon inside you. It is only effective to an extent. There are many ways to reflect emotions without expressing them out loud. Many of the villagers who remember the incident twelve years ago have become parents. Although their children do not know the truth they look toward the adults to set examples. Kiba treats you normally because his family do not discriminate you. Sakura comes from a family that possibly does. She has unconsciously picked up her parents' views. They are not her own."

Naruto visibly winced. "Don't worry, Kurenai-sensei – I'd never be mad at Sakura-chan for anything."

Kurenai reached over and ruffled his hair, smiling. "But you should also keep something else in mind. A relationship without disagreements will not last; you'll understand someday."

* * *

Over the weeks, Team Eight fell into a routine of clearing two missions a day. Each morning was dedicated to briefings and training. At first the idea of sitting through more lectures did not appeal to the genins, particularly the males, but they quickly learned that Kurenai hardly ever had anything mundane up her sleeve.

Naruto learned this the hard way, and quickly resolved to follow the Naruto Code of Surviving Training Sessions: Never challenge your sensei to a race on water the day directly after you managed to stay above the surface for more than two minutes.

Kurenai was satisfied, if not extremely pleased, with her students' growth. She regularly worked with Sakura and Naruto on their taijutsu forms. Takara refused to offer her expertise regardless of the number of times she had discovered Naruto on her doorstep – but Kurenai knew that the boy did not give up too easily.

Under her supervision, Naruto gradually developed a form that was solid enough to land steady blows – he still had trouble defending, but he had definitely improved since his first demonstration. Sakura, on the other hand, had near perfect understanding of the standard taijutsu form, so Kurenai tried to coax her into relying more on her instincts; hopefully, it would also develop an understanding of using force, which the girl unfortunately lacked. Kiba often assisted in his teammate's taijutsu sessions, humouring Kurenai when he and Naruto once took a spar onto the lake's surface.

Sakura's attitude toward Naruto had also evened out, though the blonde was not spared the occasional elbow to the gut. Confiding in Kurenai seemed to have broadened the girl's perspective. Being the neutral connection between his teammates, Kiba could notice slight changes between the two. For one, Naruto was quieter and more focused, which at first had confused both his teammates, but they soon came to respect his concentration and input. Sakura was also easier to approach – and Akamaru very much enjoyed the sweets that she brought to training every day.

But as Kiba soon learned, good times were not to last.

* * *

Naruto struck forward with a curled fist, swiping at Kiba's head. The Inuzuka blocked the first blow and dodged the next with a grin. The two circled each other until the taller boy gestured for Naruto to 'come on'. With a grunt, Naruto threw himself into it, jabbing at the waist and, when Kiba darted back to avoid contact, followed it up with a backhand that swept a momentum forward for his left arm. Surprised by his opponent's swift adaptation, Kiba raised a block. Naruto spun around and, pivoting on his hip and left leg, completed the turn with a roundhouse kick which tapped Kiba's forearm, signifying a hit.

"Gotcha," the blonde grinned.

His eyes widened when Kiba twisted and began to gyrate in movements that his opponent recognised in his Piercing Fang. Naruto was slow to evade and although the fingers only brushed against his sleeve, he knew that Kiba could have hit him if the latter had not held back.

On the last spin, Kiba struck out an arm to the ground and flipped himself up and over his sparring partner, landing on his feet. He tucked his hood over his head as he turned to sling an arm around Naruto's shoulders. "What did you think of that?" he asked with a cocky tone.

"You got me," the blonde admitted. "But I'll get you next time!"

Kiba held out his hand, palm facing skywards. "Deal."

Naruto slapped it.

"Good offense, both of you," Kurenai said when the two joined her and Sakura in the shade. "A little work on your blocking, though."

"Hai!"

Sakura knew that this applied to her as well. Their morning runs around the village had reinforced her endurance, but she could not put enough strength behind her blocks or blows to make them significantly count. Admittedly, Naruto was faring off better than she was. The blonde seemed to be improving rapidly these days, throwing himself headfirst into whatever Kurenai-sensei introduced. Sakura wondered how long it would take before the gap between their capabilities widened and she was left behind.

"Ne, Sensei," Naruto said after he had gulped down a large mouthful of water; only Sakura had the common sense to prepare for proper training out of the genins and she was thankfully willing to share her resources. "Can you teach me that thing Kiba did?"

"Why don't you try asking him instead?" Kurenai suggested. But before he could, she added in, "I was hoping this would not come up so soon, but… Naruto, Sakura."

"Yes, Sensei?"

"It appears that I have taught you all I can on the basic taijutsu," the jounin said, and felt a flurry of remorse when their mouths dropped open.

"But Sensei!" Sakura protested. "You are still much stronger than we are!"

Kurenai shook her head regretfully. "My skills come from experience. That is where I get my intuition to fight from. While some specialists can teach you this initiative, I cannot. If it were genjutsu, I would probably be able to, but taijutsu is not my forte. The only thing I can provide you with now is the time to practice."

Naruto absorbed all of this with frightening intellectual understanding. "Isn't there anyone else who can teach us?"

Kurenai needlessly replied, "Takara."

There was no mistaking the drop in the mood as they walked toward the Hokage Tower.

Kiba glanced at his teammates, finding both of them peculiarly subdued. Naruto looked deep in thought, but not altogether downright upset. The Inuzuka had figured by now that hardly anythingthat could get to the short blonde for long, and even then, he rarely let his disappointment last. Sakura, on the other hand, was being unnaturally… secluded. Even though she walked with them Kiba could not help but see his teammate as if she were standing on the other side of a thick pane of glass.

Akamaru whimpered. _"You'd better cheer her up or else." _The puppy had come to appreciate his master's companions. Naruto was persistent enough with his antics to be interesting and Sakura was plain nice. Akamaru did not like it when those who cared about him were upset.

It wasn't like Kiba needed to be told twice. He nudged Naruto and meaningfully jerked his head. The two of them slowed their pace to match Sakura's, walking on either side of her. She lifted her head to acknowledge their presence, but it wasn't long before she fell back into staring at her hands, which were clasped in front of her.

Predictably, it was Naruto who succumbed to the silence first. "Ano sa… what's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled faintly at the boys, automatically brushing off the arm that Naruto tried to slip around her with practiced ease. "Nothing's wrong."

It was easy to tell that she was lying.

* * *

Peace? Quiet? Who was she kidding?

The pounding on the door strengthened. "Open up! We need to talk to you! Now!"

With a growl, Takara scooped a cup off the table and flung it at the door. The sheer vigour at which she threw it crushed a hole in the wood. On the other side, Kiba grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar and pulled him back just as a cup punctured through the door, showering them with splinters.

The cup shattered in midair.

Kiba stared at the glass fragments on the ground. "_Shit_," he whistled in minor appreciation. Akamaru whimpered. "Hell, Naruto, if she ever agrees to teach you, you just gotta show me what she teaches you."

"Right," Naruto retorted. He was rubbing his neck, where the tip of his zipper had briefly choked him when Kiba had pulled him back. "First we've got to get her to _get off that lazy ass and teach us!"_ He yelled the last part into the puncture in the door - and promptly got another cup lodged in his mouth.

"Mmhmmph!" the orange-clad boy gagged. He fell backward, tugging futiley at the object in his mouth. It had been inserted bottom first, so when Kiba looked down at his teammate, all he saw was a white ceramic indentation that had him rolling over and laughing.

Only Akamaru attempted to free Naruto's tongue, but his endeavours were not keeping the boy's face any drier.

"What're you doing down there, brat?"

Naruto glared up at Takara. "Mmhmm!"

The woman barked out a laugh. Kiba scrambled over to his teammate and, grabbing the other boy under the arms, dragging him backward – there was no telling that Kurenai-sensei's old teammate wouldn't try to eat them. Akamaru stood his ground in front of the boys, yipping.

Takara shook her head. "You brats. Didn't Kurenai teach you any manners?"

Kiba finally resorted to thumping Naruto extremely hard in the back. The cup came tumbling out, lolling to one side by Takara's feet. Naruto coughed and glared at the woman.

"You _hag!_"

"Hmm. Thought so." She turned and walked back into her house, but not before flicking her heel and somehow managed to send the fallen cup smashing against Naruto's forehead protector.

Kiba winced as his teammate was sent tumbling back again.

Naruto was beginning to get fed up. He flung his head from side to side and stared into Takara's rundown apartment. She was sitting at the table, pouring herself another cup of saké. He stormed right in.

He pointed an accusing finger, quivering with anger, at Takara. "You! Are you going to teach us taijutsu or not?"

"No."

"Why not?"

She glanced at him, frowning. "For the tenth and last time, kid – I don't want to have anything to do with the ninja kind anymore. You've been bugging me for two weeks now. Can't you just leave a lady alone?"

Kiba crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't see why you don't want to teach them," he said. "Naruto tells me that you do nothing but drink saké all day. You could be using this time teach them, you know."

Takara sipped from her cup and ignored him.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Naruto frowned. This woman… "Kiba."

"You damn – huh? What, Naruto?"

"I, uh…forgot to bring saké for the hag today. Do you think you could run down and get some for me?"

Any genius could have detected the change of tone in Naruto's voice. It was low, solemn and silently demanding. Although Kiba was not one to take orders, he knew when to back off. With a low whistle to Akamaru, they left.

Takara shot her remaining visitor a lazy glance. "I'm not going to change my mind just because you bring me all that saké, just so you know." Tipping the gourd over and finding it empty, she cursed under her breath and lumbered to the cupboard, tearing it open to peer inside for any reserves Kami might have blessed her with overnight.

"It's because of what's inside me, isn't it? The Kyuubi."

She froze for a fraction of a second, eyes narrowing. Then she closed the cupboard and slumped into the chair. "There's a law restricting mention of that, kid," she said, meeting the boy's eyes for the first time. They were startlingly clear.

"I know. But Kurenai-sensei told me that I'm exempted; I'm allowed to mention it whenever I want, to whoever I want."

"That's big coming from a kid."

"You're not teaching us because I've got the stupid demon inside me, is that it?" Naruto frowned.

Takara turned away and drummed on the table. "Not specifically, no."

"Does it have _anything _to do with the fox?" the boy persisted.

"It's the reason I'm never going to cross ways with shinobi ever again. Does that satisfy you?"

Naruto clamped his mouth shut. He hated these moments. He ran over the list in his head – too many. The Kyuubi had caused so much pain that, sometimes, Naruto could not blame them for hating him.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's attack had left Takara Yamane in such shock that she had given up her career. She had been on the same genin team as… Naruto's throat closed when he realised that his prisoner might have caused pain to Kurenai-sensei. Given her old teammate's reaction, he wondered how she could even look at him.

"It's me," the genin said, startling Takara with his quiet voice that was barely a whisper. "It's always me. It's _only _me. I'm the problem."

Takara narrowed her eyes at the boy. His head was bowed, his hands tight fists by his side – he was a stranger, unrelated to the loudmouthed brat that had nearly swallowed her best saké cup. It was impossible to see what he was thinking, but the woman found herself wondering if she even wanted to.

He had been silent for too long. Takara sighed; it would not bode well with their friendship if she turned one of Kurenai's kids into a nutcase. "Hey, kid-"

"What if," he said, his voice slicing through hers like knife on paper. "What if you didn't have to deal with me? Would that make you feel better?"

Takara pursed her lips. She downright almost said no. The kid hadn't asked to have the demon sealed in him. Hell, it wasn't like he had begged to be kicked around and spat on. He was just a normal boy beneath those whiskers and that ridiculous jumpsuit. Yet a small portion of her wanted to say yes. It took Takara a moment to realise that it was not because of his identity as the demon container that had her averting her gaze and gripping the table edge.

He just damn looked too much like Masuru.

Naruto took the silence for what he interpreted it to be. "Fine," he muttered. "I'll stop bugging you to teach me."

Takara did not know whether to feel relieved or not.

"But you have to teach Sakura."

At this, she frowned. "Now why would I do that?"

He took a deep breath. "She's not like me. I've been ignored all my life to the point that I don't bloody hell care anymore. You don't want to teach me taijutsu – fine; you're not the first to reject me. But Sakura… you need to teach her. I saw how disappointed she was this morning when Kurenai-sensei told us that there was nothing else she could teach us on taijutsu. I… I don't ever want to see her sad like that."

She stared unblinkingly at him. "How noble of you."

He growled. "Didn't you hear anything I said?"

"I'll think about it."

"You'd better."

* * *

It startled Sakura to realise just how many people knew her now. She had come to know a lot of the villagers through Team Eight's missions, but could never remember all their faces. She was too distracted with trying to identify the familiar faces to notice where she was walking.

"Argh – Akamaru! Couldn't you at least have warned me?!"

"Gomenasai! I was – oh. Kiba." The pink-haired girl stepped back and looked up at the shop her teammate had just walked out of. She frowned. "You're underage to drink alcohol, Kiba."

He grinned. "I'm not underage to _buy _it, though, am I?" Seeing her disapproving look, he shrugged. "It's for… uh, my mother."

Sakura nodded. "I see…"

"Ah hey, I gotta go – Mom's going to kill me if I don't get these to her soon. I'll see you tomorrow at training, Sakura."

"Bye," she muttered. He was gone, with Akamaru bounding along his side.

At strange intervals, Sakura was often taken aback by her team. Kiba and Akamaru were… well, they hadn't been the sort of teammates Sakura had had in mind. It was not that they were unnoticeable, like the Aburame boy who always sat in the corner of their classroom and now on Sasuke's team.

Ah… maybe she hadn't thought of being on a team without Uchiha Sasuke.

She hadn't seen him since graduation day. She knew only that he was in a team with the son of the White Fang as his sensei. Sakura wondered how different his sensei was from Yuuhi Kurenai. Thinking about her mentor somehow settled her. Kurenai had exceeded her expectations of jounin instructors and Sakura suspected that there was still more to the jounin than met the eye.

But truth be told, Uzumaki Naruto was easily the most confusing of her team.

Lately, he had been less outspoken. He was still unbelievably energetic and, honestly, Sakura wouldn't have been able to detect the change at all if she hadn't spent weeks with him. Naruto suddenly seemed to know when to stop fooling around, which was a nice change. But in exchange, he began asking Sakura to explain technical things whenever Kurenai-sensei was not around to enlighten him. It had been very frustrating at first, for both of them, but they somehow managed to reach a compromise. She soon learned that using food-related comparisons was the best way to get the message across.

He didn't always get it in the first go, though. At times, if she was explaining something in more detail than he understood, he would throw a minor fit and end up attracting Kiba's attention. Then the three of them would somehow wind up at Ichiraku's, with Sakura lecturing them on whatever it was that had been brought up.

These days, Sakura learned to carry spare scrolls on her in case she needed to draw diagrams; which, in Naruto's case, turned out to be more often than not. The pink-haired kunoichi could not help but wonder exactly how he had survived his Academy years. While he was not particularly dense, he did not seem to-

Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand dropped onto her shoulder. Reacting unthinkingly, Sakura was halfway in an attempt to flip the intruder onto his back when he spoke.

"Easy there, girl."

Immediately recognising the gruff tone, Sakura dropped the arm and turned to bow toward Tanaka, mortified. "I am so sorry, Tanaka-san! I was distracted-"

He waved a hand about and grumbled. "Don't worry about it. My fault for startling you, I suppose." He waited for her complexion to even out, and then leaned forward. "You wouldn't have managed to throw me anyway; your build is too small to support _my _weight."

She winced. _Damn… what was I thinking?_ Kurenai-sensei had made sure they understood that misjudging an opponent once was enough to cost your life. If this had been during a mission, Sakura would most likely be lying in a ditch with a kunai piercing her windpipe in a standard kill.

Tanaka frowned; there was something out of place about the girl. She was usually very well-mannered and while it was not fair to say that she had broken that trait, she was more silent than usual. No – less attentive; he had called her name many times before he had hobbled out to take matters into his own hands. She appeared to be deep in thought, and judging by the abuse her lower lip was taking, they had not been happy thoughts.

He cleared his throat. "You got anything to do, kid? Parents expecting you home anytime soon?"

She shook her head.

"Then would you mind helping an old cripple close up his shop?" He sighed when she looked horrified at his self-description of his handicap – kids these days; either too goddamn loud or too freaking serious.

Still, the girl was wasn't too bad. She caught onto things very quickly. He set her to counting the earnings for the day, and when she finished that astonishingly quickly, he let her help him move the fruit crates to clear space for the metal sheet that would close off the store from outside access.

Usually his sister dropped by to help but she had been assigned to a week-long border patrol that had Tanaka envying her; it had been he, once upon a time, who had marched along the dirt tracks on a vigilant watch. For three weeks after the loss of his leg, he had been the only jounin out of chuunins to be stationed at the border gates. Even though the Hokage had allowed Tanaka to resume active shinobi duties, the latter knew that he would never be assigned missions above C-rank ever again. By the end of his first month, Tanaka finally realised that he was no longer suited for his former career and had allowed his sister to convince him into early retirement.

The grocer shook his head and sighed – no use reminiscing now. He turned, a crate tucked under each arm, to see Sakura bending to lift three stacked crates. He started. "Oi, those are full. I'll handle them… later…" His voice trailed off with incredulity.

The girl was looking at him with a perplexed expression. She had, with only the slightest pause, bodily lifted the crates. Two of them towered dangerously over her head, and Tanaka knew for a fact that they contained a hell lot of stock. Yet the meagre genin was holding them as if they were nothing more than library books.

"What's the matter, Tanaka-san? Did you want to leave them there?"

He walked past her to set down his own load. "You feed chakra into your arms to support the weight, don't you?" he observed.

Blinking, she nodded. "Hai. Kurenai-sensei showed it to us once." She set down the crates where the grocer indicated, orderly unstacking and organising them.

Tanaka considered her. Truly, it was rare to see such developed chakra control in a genin; he would not be surprised if she could pull more out of a jutsu than a regular chuunin. "You'd be good for medical jutsu," he mused.

Sakura straightened and cocked her head curiously to one side. "Medical jutsu?"

"Well, of course, it's too early for you to learn something like that." Tanaka grinned. "Did I tell you that I was the only active jounin in the whole village to use medical jutsu? Wasn't part of a medical squad or anything – just a plain old jounin. None of the guys on my team ever came home with a scratch. Got well known for it too."

Her eyes widened, but just as quickly, she lowered her gaze. "It must be good to be able to specialise in something," she murmured.

"Is something on your mind today?"

"Not really…"

"It's better if you talk about it with someone."

"No, I'm okay. Really. Thanks for the concern, Tanaka-san." She glanced up at the setting sun. "I have to go home now. I'll see you next time. Ja ne!"

Tanaka watched the girl run off. Then, shaking his head with a grin, he reached up to pull the slide over his store.

* * *

It seemed to Kiba that, other than the ability to track down his teammates on will, he also had the uncanny knack of colliding into them.

"Ow! Akamaru, you never – argh! Why doesn't anyone watch where they're going today?" Seething, Kiba picked himself off the ground and grudgingly extended a hand to help his teammate – only to find that Naruto was already on his feet and charging past him.

All at once, Kiba knew that Sakura was not the only one bothered by the unknown. He could see the grim scowl, furrowed brow and clenched fists all in perfect detail as Naruto stormed past. His arm clipped the Inuzuka's in passing but the shorter boy seemed not to notice. He carried himself with the grace of a bull and disappeared into the distance. Kiba frowned and rubbed his shoulder; it hadn't been a gentle clash in any manner of speaking. This unsettled him; he had never known Naruto to lose his temper.

"Something's not right," he murmured. "Come on, Akamaru!"

Takara did not appear to have moved at all since he had left. She was still seated at the dusty table. The only difference was that she no longer had her hands around a cup of saké. Kiba easily remedied that.

He tossed the bag he had been carrying onto the table with enough force to shatter it. Only Takara's hand had already slipped in to rescue it. Kiba growled furiously. "Alright, spit it out. What the hell did you do to Naruto?"

She calmly plucked out the cork and poured the alcohol into a cup.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Won't you at least _look at me_?!" Apparently not. Akamaru whined and Kiba glared. "How can you be our sensei's teammate? You don't even get out of that seat and even when you do it's only to knock the crap out of us. What's your problem?"

"Shut up, kid."

So she hadn't lost her voice. Pity.

"You're just so stubborn," Kiba fumed. "You don't have a single bone of kindness in that twisted spine of yours. I don't get it – really, why won't you just give Naruto and Sakura a chance? Kurenai-sensei said you were the only one who had more to teach them… _Are you listening to me__?!_"

No, she wasn't.

Kiba heaved in deep breaths. He was starting to understand how Naruto had winded up in that foul mood. The woman was impossible to swerve in any manner. Perhaps the alcohol screwed with her brain and the ability to think – it wouldn't come as a surprise. Kiba was very much on the verge of following Naruto's example and leaving the hellhole. He'd already set a foot outside the door before he felt the tug on his pants and looked down to see Akamaru sinking his teeth into his trouser leg.

For a long while, Kiba just stared at his canine companion. Akamaru was right; if he left, he would regret it. True, taijutsu training was unrelated to him – but it meant a lot to his teammates. Sakura was easily the smartest genin he knew, but books could only get her so far. And Naruto was hungry to learn anything. Kiba had seen him on the lake after training hours, sweating profusely over the walking on water exercise. If there was one thing that Naruto didn't know and would never learn to acknowledge, it was how to give up.

But, judging from the way he had left in such a hurry, he had just done that.

In all honesty, Kiba did not enjoy the glum silence that Sakura and Naruto had been exuding recently. He wanted to be able to talk and bicker with them the next time they were assigned to garbage duty. He wanted to prove to Kurenai-sensei that they were a team now, that she didn't have to worry about their development.

He wanted to see them smile.

Inhaling deeply, Kiba turned back to Takara. "What do I have to do to get you to teach Naruto and Sakura taijutsu?"

Takara slammed her cup onto the table. She would definitely be having a word with Kurenai. So, so frustratingly annoying. She scowled at the boy – and found herself staring deep into his narrowed eyes. She blinked.

His gaze was exactly like Blondie's.

Chuckling, she wiped her hand on the edge of her jeans and picked up her cup again. "Outside. There's a tree. The biggest one."

Kiba glanced over his shoulder. "What about it?"

"Kurenai should have taught you the tree-walking exercise by now."

"So what if she has?"

"I want you to hang upside down on one of the branches." The boy was already slipping off his jacket. She almost laughed out loud. "For as long as I say."

Kiba wavered. Knowing the difficult woman, she would just drag it on until he gave up. They had practiced staying stationary on a branch before just the previous week. While he had not worn himself to exhaustion, he was well aware of his limit. And upside down, too. Despite the clan training he had undergone to prevent such a thing from happening, the blood would eventually rush to his head and kill him.

It was impossible.

He glowered at the woman, ready to accuse her of attempted murder. But then he remembered Naruto and Sakura. He knew how much the two of them yearned to improve, to become stronger. He recalled their ambitions from their first meeting, and he almost chuckled.

To be Hokage and to prove that first in line ninjas could also be successful - how the hell could they do that without getting stronger?

"Will you teach them if I do that?"

Takara was well accustomed to hiding surprise, so not a flicker of the emotion reached her face. "I can't guarantee that."

Kiba's teeth made a grinding sound. "At least think about it!"

"I might."

"Promise?"

"I'm not a kid like you, I don't do promises."

"You-"

"I can only give you my word. It's your choice whether or not you trust it."

Kiba lowered the finger he had been jabbing at the woman. He stomped out of the house.

A little over half an hour later, when she had exhausted the saké the kid had brought her, Takara poked her head out the shattered window. "Why are you doing this?" she called to the boy. "As far as I'm aware, Kurenai didn't ask me to teach _you_."

Kiba was well aware of the trickle of sweat that had been streaming down – technically, _up_ – his face. Akamaru whined below him, aware of his master's strain and discomfort. The boy licked his lips. His chakra reserves were already declining below halfway point. Not to mention that he was beginning to get light-headed with all the blood rushing to his head.

When he failed to answer her, Takara continued to point out, "You could end up dying, you know."

At this, Kiba somehow mustered the strength to chuckle. It almost split his head.

"But that's what friends are for, right?"


	5. Half a Circle

**Chapter 5 – Half a Circle**

Haruno Sakura knew when to ask questions and when not to.

She did not utter a word when Kiba hobbled awkwardly on their morning run together. She remained silent with her teammates when they offered only half-hearted smiles, and she returned their gestures with her own. She managed to hold back her curiosity for the majority of the day.

She did not even inquire when Kurenai took her aside after she had dismissed the team to inform her that an acquaintance was expecting her at a certain restaurant.

She held her tongue when Yamane Takara waved at her from a corner table.

"Dango?" the woman offered when the younger sat down opposite her. Sakura politely declined. "Hmm. Scared of getting fat, are you? On a diet?"

"Ano… why did you call me here?"

Takara lifted a stick of dango to her mouth and gave the girl a strange, uninterpretable look. Sakura nervously fidgeted under the gaze. The woman did more than freak her out. There was something about her – something dark and secrete – that tore her apart from her aloof, inattentive physical self.

Sakura did not like to be in the presence of people she couldn't tell apart. She supposed that was probably why she had such an easy time talking to Naruto – the knucklehead often said the first thing that came to mind. People like Aburame Shino, with his intimidating aura and silent demeanour, would not have made it onto Sakura's Wish List of Desirable Teammates.

Of course, Sasuke's name would be the first on the list. There was little Sakura would not give to be on his team. However, that would mean booting off either Naruto or Kiba. Sakura had grown so accustomed to their presence and their constant bickering that she could no longer remember a moment in which she had been allowed a moment of peaceful bliss. But to be with Sasuke, anything would be worth it…

Right?

"Someone's in love," Takara mused, slicing into Sakura's thoughts.

"N-no I'm not!"

It took two minutes of silence for Sakura to regain her composure. When she had her emotions under control, she warily eyed her companion. "Kurenai-sensei said you wanted to talk with me," she said, drawing up enough valour not to duck her head and tear her gaze from the dark eyes that met hers.

"Hn," Takara responded. Sakura fought back another blush; how was it that Sasuke always managed to find his way into her life?

Thankfully, Takara said nothing else, occupying herself with the plate of dango on the table. She paid no heed to her young acquaintance. Sakura frowned and stared down at the table. At the rate things were going, she was more than willing to treat her teammates at Ichiraku Ramen for lunch if either of them could rescue her from the moment. Unlikely as it seemed, the pink-haired girl allowed their grinning faces to take the place of the dark-haired knight in shining armour that, more than often, was featured exclusively in her dreams.

"Hand."

Sakura blinked. "Pardon?"

Takara tossed a dango stick onto the plate and leaned forward. "Show me your hand… no, your right one, silly."

Uncomfortable was an adjective of the lowest calibre that Sakura could conjure for the situation she was caught in at the moment. With the woman who had attempted to flick a hole in her teammate's head staring at her hand, turning it over and back again, no one could blame her for feeling uneasy. "Ano – are you reading my destiny?"

"Hmm." Takara idly traced a line on the smooth palm with a rough finger. "I'm trying to figure out what sort of style I should train you in."

"Train… me?"

"Taijutsu."

"Oh…"

It wasn't until Takara gave her a funny look that Sakura realised that she had possibly – 'possibly' being an understatement – downgraded her reaction. Had she not, just days ago, been profusely hoping that the woman would become her tutor? So why was she hesitating, murmuring mere acceptance as if her mother had cooked a moderately favourite dish for her birthday?

She took back her hand and bowed her head forward in what she hoped was a grateful manner. "Thank you for changing your mind. This… this means a lot to me."

Takara gave her such a concentrated stare that Sakura almost winced.

Finding her body unwilling to remain in the woman's company any longer, the pink-haired kunoichi slid the chair back and got to her feet. She bowed before Takara – Takara_-sensei_, she reminded herself – and said, "My parents are waiting for me at home, so I have to leave now. When will we start training? I'll tell Naruto."

Takara chuckled under her breath. "You don't need to tell the blondie."

"Oh, he already knows?"

"I'm only teaching you."

Sakura frowned. "What?"

Children these days – barely capable of following instructions and already bragging about defending the village. "I'm not going to teach Blondie. Just you."

It did not come across as a surprise that the girl did not like the idea.

"Only… me?"

Sakura should be happy; she had every reason to be. This was a privilege; she had been specifically chosen. But she wasn't happy. On the contrary, she was a little more than dismayed. Yamane Takara intimidated her to no end. And to face her alone…

Sakura vowed that she would never take Naruto for granted again.

Takara was amused by the young genin. She had seen less of the girl than her annoying teammates, and the woman had to admit that this Haruno Sakura had piqued her interest. She had judged the girl by her timid yet bossy nature and had concluded the kunoichi a shallow-minded and giddy fool. The first few minutes of their meeting today had proven that – the girl thought of _boys _in her spare time. Kurenai had chosen badly.

In spite of this, Takara had been interested in getting to know Sakura. Both of her teammates had vouched their own wellbeing for hers. Takara had assumed that the girl would have been notably unique to have attracted such support. She was only half-disappointed; while a portion of her mind was undoubtedly tainted by 'young love', Sakura did not altogether abandon her teammate. Shinobi who abandoned comrades were worth nothing.

She gestured at the seat Sakura had just risen from. "Sit."

The genin did, but the frown was firmly held in place. "Why will you only teach me and not Naruto? I don't understand."

Takara sighed. "Listen. I don't believe in mincing words. I only ever give the full story. Do you want to hear it?"

Dubiously, Sakura nodded.

"Your teammates came to beg me. Blondie came and bargained with me: dropping his taijutsu opportunities in favour of yours. Then dog boy struck another bargain after the first guy left: hang on a tree for as long as I liked in exchange for teaching both you and Blondie." Takara levelled her gaze at her audience. "What do you think about that?"

Sakura's heart could sink no further. The truth unfolded: Naruto's slipping smile, Kiba's slight limp, Akamaru's constant whimpering – they had suffered because of her. She shook her head slowly and gripped the table's edge. _Idiots… those _idiots. _They're so… so …_

So damn kind.

She did not notice that she had clawed her nails into the wooden surface until a splinter pierced the painfully tender flesh beneath her fingernail. Sakura hissed and released the furniture immediately.

Takara eyed her sort-of student with amusement. "I think you'll have more luck asking that Inuzuka for training with nails like those. Those nails will have to go if you're going to start learning under me, by the way – they hurt you more than your opponents, trust me."

Sakura nodded numbly. Then, realising what she was agreeing to, shook her head quickly. No. She couldn't do this. To sacrifice others for the sake of her own gain… it was a monstrosity in itself. Yet, Naruto and Kiba had given so much just to…

"No," she said firmly, a little louder than she had intended. She stood again, this time almost knocking over the chair in the process. The few customers sharing the restaurant with them spared a moment of their time to turn their heads in her direction. Their stares made Sakura wonder if she should act more ladylike.

Like hell she cared about something like that.

"'No' what?" Takara smirked.

Sakura's mouth opened and closed. Her confidence left her. "It's just… it-it's not right. I can't do this to Naruto…" She thought of the boy who was always there with a steady grin, who had just this morning offered to piggyback her on a round around the park for the sake of acting like he wasn't disconcerted – to which she had responded with a half-hearted fist to his shoulder.

"No," she said again, and her voice was strong.

An eyebrow arced up. "I thought you said it meant a lot to you."

"It does. But Kurenai-sensei taught us to trust and value teammates." Sakura looked down at the woman with a hard, determined gleam in her emerald eyes. "Those two are idiots for doing something like that… but I'd be a bigger idiot if I went along with it."

"Really now?"

"Yes. Really," the genin snapped. And she stalked out of the restaurant, leaving a trail of nosy busybodies hovering over her shoulder.

Takara snorted softly and reclined in her chair. So feisty. _She's more like those brats than I thought_, she reflected. A small smile tingled on the edge of her senses. _Where does Kurenai get these selfless kids from?_

She shook her head lightly and raised her hand to order tea. The old lady who owned the restaurant stared at her customer, well attuned to the woman's fondness to alcohol. A wrinkled hand settled on Takara's forehead to check her temperature and it wasn't until ten minutes later that the order arrived.

Yamane Takara drank tea for the first time in nine years.

And she smiled.

* * *

"Hey, pass us the water," Naruto called.

Kiba grunted and reached into his pack to throw the blonde a bottle. "Quit ordering me around. That's my job."

"Then you're fired," Hana said. She patted her brother's shoulder before he could pull off a scowl. "Don't worry, I still love you, brat." She turned but, a few metres down the path, she paused again to look over her shoulder. "Mom says be home by six tonight – she's got something to give you."

"Whatever," Kiba grumbled. He waited until his sister had turned before sticking his tongue out at her back. Hana immediately whipped around with a glare. Slightly taken aback, Kiba blurted, "You're not so tough! I can outlast you any day."

Due to the scary competition between the Inuzuka siblings, Naruto and Sakura ended up running three rounds around the park in support of their friends. They had the feeling that it could have – Kami forbid – dragged on for longer if Hana hadn't had to leave to attend to her duties. She left the three genin with a smile and stick of dango each.

It was amusing to watch Kiba's fierce expression when he gobbled down the snack, Sakura reflected, smiling at her teammate's stubbornly barred teeth and the delight his eyes twinkled with. Sibling love was truly something she would never understand.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what did Kurenai-sensei say after training yesterday?"

The smile scuttled off and Sakura blanched.

The night following the fateful conversation with their sensei's old teammate, she had locked herself in her room and refused to come out for dinner, much to her parents' alarm. She forced herself to think and she ended up doing a lot of it.

Her first thought had been to seek out Takara and get down on her knees and apologise and weep and beg her to take her back. She regretted having turned down the taijutsu specialist. She had refused the need to improve. She had made vain of her teammates' goodwill. At the same time, she knew that being a ninja was not a game; there were no second chances, and even if there was, they came at a costly price. There was no calling Takara back now.

But then, Sakura wondered if accepting the offer would have made her teammates any happier. Her mind projected an image of training and sweating under Takara's relentless exercises, and then another of Naruto doing the exact same, except watched and guided by no one. Then, in her mind's eye, she saw Kiba approach Naruto and the two of them laughed as they sparred and were knocked down by the other. They looked happy.

And Sakura realised that she would rather train with her goofy teammates than follow Takara. There was no particular reason – in fact, she would be making a very stupid decision. But a small voice told her that it was somehow the right choice. It whispered that Haruno Sakura belonged to Team Eight.

"Sakura-chan? You in there? Helloooooo."

She snapped out of it when a hand waved in front of her face. "Oh. Right, sorry. I was… thinking." She smiled wanly at her teammates. "What were you saying?"

Naruto accepted her explanation with nothing less than a ridiculously wide grin. "Oh good – I thought you fell asleep or something. We were asking you what Kurenai-sensei said to you yesterday. We waited for you but you went off in the other direction and I think Sensei saw us so we went home instead." He paused to gulp in a large breath, having said the majority out in one lungful of air. "So… what happened anyway?"

Sakura's breath caught. For whatever strange development it may be, the mention of It from her teammates gave her a very painful reminder of her excruciating night and lack of sleep. She had come so close to furthering her skills and proving that she was not the weakest link. And she had come too close to losing her team.

All because of two boys who just… cared too much about her.

"You two are idiots," she muttered, tossing her empty water bottle into the bin with perfect accuracy. Kiba sputtered in innocent protest and Naruto's eyes widened to the point that Sakura contemplated the possibility of fitting a shuriken into them. They did not understand – and neither did she.

So she walked off without another word.

Naruto stared at Sakura's retreating mane of pink hair. "What'd I say?" he whispered to Kiba.

"I dunno… what did you _do_?" Kiba frowned down at him, Akamaru struggling to find purchase on his master's head as his perch tilted forward. "You must have done something stupid to get her angry. That's why she called you an idiot."

"She called _you _an idiot too."

"Hmm. True." The taller boy shrugged and squinted against the sun's bright rays. "I think she'll cool down by the time we get to training."

"You sure about that? She's… well, you know Sakura."

"If she's not fine by then we'll do something about it, alright?" Kiba's voice took a serious turn. "Trust me, Naruto; I deal with my sister enough times and you've got to believe me when I say that girls need to be left alone sometimes. They don't always like people poking into their business, you know what I mean?"

Naruto shook his head and Kiba sighed.

"I don't suppose you have to. Just remember, okay? Sometimes people want to be left alone without someone else butting into their privacy. Even I'm like that sometimes. When that comes up, it's best to do what they want. It's a mutual understanding thing."

He finished to his teammate's baffled look. "What are you staring at?"

"You just sounded smart there."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"But it's not."

"Shut up." Kiba turned away before the other boy could protest. "I'm going to go home and pick up some snacks. I'll see you later."

Naruto decided to let it go. "Okay then. I'm gonna go Ichiraku's. But… Kiba?"

"What?"

"Before you go… what happened to your legs?"

* * *

"Naruto, I want to talk to you for a moment."

The blonde sighed and his shoulders slumped. He had been at the point of walking off with his teammates for their regular morning tea after training before their missions. Kurenai often gave them coupons or treated them to the meals but whenever she was unavailable to do so, the three children and puppy organised their own activities. Such arrangements were conducted in an orderly fashion: Naruto running off with a growling stomach, the boys fighting over two different sorts of snacks, Sakura's patience slowly running out, Naruto complaining about his unsatisfiable appetite, Sakura sighing and, with assistance from Akamaru, dragging her teammates to Ichiraku's where they took turns to pay.

_Oh yeah,_ Naruto remembered ruefully. _I still haven't paid Kiba back yet. _He had forgotten that he had asked Kiba to purchase saké for Takara the previous day. He promised to catch up with the debts after he was finished with Kurenai.

He grinned up at his teacher. "What's up, Sensei?"

"I've been told that you've done something stupid again," she said understatedly.

"… I did? What did I do?" He thought he had done a good job of keeping himself in line.

"Sakura came early to training," Kurenai said softly. "She told me things – some of which she doesn't want me to share with you or Kiba. But from what I gathered, it seems that you had another talk to Takara."

It was amazing how quickly a couple of sentences could change a person's disposition. The heel of Naruto's sandals scuffed at the ground. "Is she mad at me?"

Similar questions seemed to always come up, giving Kurenai a good measure of exactly how deeply Naruto cared of his teammate's judgments of him. No matter how hard he tried to blend in, stand out or whatever he intended, he was just a boy with a fragile heart. "Why would you think that?" she asked lightly.

"She just walked away after the run. She was fine, like, two seconds before but when I asked her something… she just went off."

"Did she say anything before she did?"

He mumbled something she couldn't catch.

"Sorry?"

"She said I was an idiot."

Kurenai smiled. Now she knew where the problem was. "I don't see why you would be upset by that; I believe Sakura uses that against you almost every day."

He frowned, as if trying to place something in particular. Then he shook his head. "But this time it was different. She said it like she meant it."

"I suppose she did," the jounin agreed, and the blonde head shot up. "I think you misunderstood her, though, Naruto."

"I… don't get it."

"Sakura told me about this morning and I specifically remember her saying that both you _and Kiba _were 'idiots'."

Naruto blinked. "How's that different?"

"It means that you were not the only one at fault; whatever you may have done, Kiba also attempted."

At this, the blonde dropped his head again. "I asked Kiba what had happened to his leg; he wasn't walking right." He grimaced and relayed to Kurenai what Kiba had reluctantly told him. "I asked him why he would do something like that and he said…" There, Naruto's breath caught.

He had thought that he had been doing the right thing for once. He had thought that he had done something others would never attempt. But that only proved to show him how wrong he had been. Kiba had gone beyond what Naruto had done, and in some way, it made him feel inferior.

Kurenai watched her pupil carefully. "I know what Kiba did for you and Sakura. Naruto, I want you to know that, while it is tempting to think so, not everything is about you. As a team, your cooperation is important – but so is concern for your team."

Naruto looked doubtful.

"Take it this way, then," the jounin said. "We are on a mission outside the village. We have been engaged in enemy combat. While I am dealing with one of the jounins, another attempts to sneak behind me. I do not notice him, but you do. What will you do in that situation?"

"I'd go in there and save you," Naruto replied immediately.

Kurenai's lips twitched into a smile; a genin rescuing a jounin would very much be interesting. "What if Kiba or Sakura – or even Akamaru – were in my position?"

This time, Naruto hesitated. His brow pulled together. "I'd… save them too, I guess," he murmured. Noticing his teacher's raised eyebrows, he shrugged. "I was just thinking that they might not _want _me to save them. You know… I thought I was helping Sakura-chan but she…"

"A team will fall apart if the members did not know how to care for each other," Kurenai said gently. "A shinobi who cares nothing for his teammates will fail whatever mission he is assigned. In the scenario that I have given you, it is almost impossible for you not to react to the danger; it is a life or death situation." She regarded the boy evenly. "Would you be afraid to save your teammates? Or would you rather one of us died?"

Naruto paled. "That still doesn't explain why Sakura went off like that," he whispered. "Kiba told me that girls like to be left alone sometimes but I…"

"Kiba is quite right," Kurenai said. "It is not only with women, but with anyone else you may encounter. I understand that it is a natural instinct for you to care about others, Naruto, but there are times when your concern may not be appreciated – just like what you said before. It does not necessary mean that you have done the wrong thing, but rather that you are _caring too much_."

"So you're saying that… Sakura-chan isn't really mad at me?" he asked hopefully.

"Sakura is still learning to cope. Much like you, she does not have many friends." Seeing his mouth open to disagree, Kurenai cut in, "I know that she is treated differently to you. However, as her main companions were the girls that fawned over Uchiha Sasuke" – Kurenai nodded with a slight smile that Naruto characteristically scowled at the other boy's name – "she has no true friends to speak of. I understand that she and the Yamanaka girl were once good friends, but it seems that they no longer are."

She waited until Naruto had nodded his understanding before continuing. "Sakura has difficulty coming to terms with her place in the team. She mistakenly believes that she is weak, that she has no particular value to speak of. This is why she wants so desperately to build her taijutsu skills and overcome her weaknesses. But imagine how she felt when she found out what had to be sacrificed for that opportunity."

"Why does she have to think like that?" Naruto muttered, his fists clenched.

Kurenai smiled. "You don't think that the two of you are alike?"

He fell silent.

"Naruto, what exactly did you say to Takara?"

The boy squirmed. "I thought she didn't want to teach me because of… you know," he mumbled, staring down at his feet. "So I asked her if she would teach Sakura if I backed out and she said she'd think about it. But…"

"Yes?" Kurenai prompted.

"I don't think she meant it."

"Then why did you do such a thing if she knew she wasn't going to keep her word?"

He shrugged. "It's not like we were getting anywhere so I thought that anything was a chance." He grinned sheepishly at his teacher. "I was an idiot, was I?"

Kurenai thought about it for a moment. "Yes, you were," she agreed finally.

He laughed. "I thought so." Slowly, the smile faded. "You know what you said about trusting teammates and that? I didn't tell Kiba about that I said to the hag – I mean, Takara. I thought…"

"Understandable," Kurenai approved. "You were afraid that his questions would force you to reveal your prisoner." She smiled. "It is good to see that you are, for once, thinking before you act. Maybe it's Sakura's influence."

He flushed.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'm sure you did what you thought was best, and I know that Kiba will understand."

He nodded, and then hesitated. "How do you do that, Sensei?"

Kurenai was caught off guard. "Do what?"

Naruto shrugged. "You always make everything better. Even with the biggest problem… you make it seem so easy to deal with. Maybe if I'd known you earlier I wouldn't have had so much trouble back at the Academy, huh?" He chuckled lightly, but the pain in his eyes was unquestionable.

Kurenai cracked a smile. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Hai!"

Kurenai watched Naruto bounce along the rooftops on his way to catch up with his teammates. He really was a sweet child; it was a pity that he had to be burdened with such a heavy load. She turned her head slightly. "I don't see how you can say no to a boy like that."

A chuckle. "I don't see how you can stand being around him either. Doesn't he remind you of Masuru?"

Kurenai closed her eyes. "Please don't say that." It was painful enough to have seen the boy she had loved like a brother crushed – and to think that her 'brother' resembled another boy that she had begun considering a sibling. More so to know that one was harvesting the cause of death of the other.

"He acts like him too," Takara said thoughtfully. "Masuru was always doing stupid things for other people."

"Why are you here?"

"I thought I'd get a little idea of what those kids are capable of." A pause. "I can see why you didn't ask me to teach the dog-boy."

"We can't teach Kiba what only his clan can."

"The girl's interesting, isn't she?"

Kurenai couldn't help but smile. "I didn't know that you were there for that long."

Takara scoffed. "You underestimate me, Kurenai. Just because I suck at genjutsu doesn't mean I automatically fail at concealing myself. Don't forget," she reminded in a stern voice, "_I _won those games back when we were genin."

"Indeed," her teammate agreed. Kouta-sensei had, for the benefit of training his tracking team, cornered his students into a daily practice of hide and seek, in which they were free to use whichever skill to hide and pursue their targets. For whatever reason it might have been, Kurenai always came out on the short end.

"You have a strange team, Kurenai. Naruto is quite unpredictable, do you agree?"

"On first name terms already? How nice."

"He actually thought I didn't want to teach him because of the stupid demon," Takara continued, amused.

"Wouldn't anyone? Naruto knows what the villagers think of him."

"Have you realised… how much like our old team your genins are?"

Kurenai smiled. "Yes."

"Except these brats are alive and Masuru and Kouta-sensei aren't."

The jounin winced. "Takara…"

"I hate seeing people die, Kurenai, you know that? When half our team died, it made me realise just how fragile life was. One second they were standing and the next they were nothing but spatters of blood." Takara crossed her arms, but to Kurenai, the gesture suggested that her friend was hugging herself for comfort. "It's so easy to die. I'm a coward and I admit it – everyone has to die someday, but, Kurenai, I bet you're going to die on a mission or something like that. It's the only way shinobi ever really die."

Kurenai began to wonder just how much thinking her friend had gotten around to.

"When I'm out of saké, I just lie around and hope that I can just sleep. But I never can, and I think about things. On the bad days, I hate the Hokage. I hate him because he lets little kids hold kunai and practice killing themselves. We were part of those kids in our generation, and look at us now. Kouta-sensei used to be one of those kids. We were all part of this little program to destroy the innocence of childhood.

"But there's nothing I can do to stop this chain, is there? And even if I can, it's not going to make the countries stop trying to squash their neighbours; it's only going to get us killed faster." Takara chuckled and traced a scar on her arm. "It's ironic, isn't it? Those kids are our protectors. They have a higher survival rate on the field than a six-foot tall farmer."

Kurenai recalled that her genin team had enjoyed accepting missions to the farms outside the village, ploughing through the fields. Kouta-sensei commonly sat under the same oak tree, chewing on a bamboo stick, and falling asleep to wake to the sound of his students' laughter as they darted away from the culprit who had taken control over the poor cow's udders and its liquid contents.

She wondered if Takara thought more about their childhood than she did.

"Those three brats of yours will probably be the ones saving my ass in a few years time," Takara continued, amused by the prospect. "They'd better be strong enough when that day comes, because I don't want to have the roles reversed." Then her expression evened out. "I hate death but since there's nothing that can prevent it, the only thing I can do is make sure those brats are well-equipped to survive when the reaper comes calling too early."

Kurenai turned and looked at her companion. "Does this mean…"

Takara shrugged and smiled, tilting her head back to smile faintly at the clear sky above them. "I was just thinking that if those kids are the future… maybe it's time I stopped living in the past."

* * *

At precisely six o'clock, Sakura appeared outside the window of Naruto's bedroom. She scowled when she saw the boy still tangled in his sheets, half his body hanging over the edge of the bed. She slid open the pane of glass and climbed into the apartment.

"Naruto," she whispered.

He snorted in his sleep,

Sakura's scowl deepened. "Naruto," she said again in a louder voice.

The only movement was the drool trickling down his chin.

She sucked in a deep breath. Then she paused. It had been many days since she had last had to raise her voice to the now dubbed 'Naruto volume'. It was also very early in the morning and Sakura doubted that Naruto's neighbours would appreciate the wake up call.

Sighing, she grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it back, exposing Naruto's curled form to the crisp morning air that was flowing through the open window.

In doing so, Sakura had also forcefully untangled the blonde from his sheets. Naruto fell off the bed with a thud.

"Ow! What was that for, Iruka-sensei? It's not like I-"

The lights flickered on and even in the dim lighting Naruto could well make out the silhouette of a less than pleased teammate.

"Gah! S-Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?"

Good question.

Sakura asked herself the same thing and came up with an embarrassing answer. When, the day before, Kurenai had told the two of them that Takara had finally agreed to oversee their taijutsu, Sakura had remained curiously silent while Naruto had cheered, apparently having forgotten his previous encounters with the woman.

The pink-haired girl wondered now exactly why she had stopped by at Naruto's house. She could have gone straight to the training grounds and arrived half an hour early… but she hadn't. Instead, with the excuse that the idiot would definitely sleep in, she had sought out her new sparring partner.

Sakura was nervous.

"I'm waking you up, silly. It's six o'clock; you're going to be late."

"I've got an alarm clock-"

"Which isn't ringing, is it? Just get up. I'm giving you ten minutes to brush your teeth, take a shower, kill the cat – whatever it is you do every morning. Then we're heading off. You got that?"

He didn't dare disagree. He scurried out of the room and Sakura heard the tap running in the bathroom.

She sighed and sat down on the bed. It was great news that Takara had finally relented, but it was not altogether a comforting thought. Team Eight had gone through a great deal of trouble in the process of convincing her – and in the end the woman had agreed on her own. Sakura was glad that Naruto would be accompanying her during the sessions; she really did not feel up to facing Yamane Takara on her own.

Naruto managed to finish conducting his morning business quicker than Sakura had expected. They left the apartment and walked to the training ground.

After a while, Naruto asked, "What happened to your hair, Sakura-chan?"

His companion flushed. She hadn't thought that he would notice – after all, Sasuke probably wouldn't have. In preparation for physical training and a hell lot of sweating, Sakura had tied her hair back into two loose pigtails. Then, after trying to fiddle with her long hair – a nervous habit she had developed over the years – for ten minutes and groping air, she had released two thick bangs from either side of her face and braided them.

In addition to changing her hairstyle, Sakura had also swapped her long dress for a loose set of tracksuit pants and a jacket.

Her mother had been horrified.

She had spent an hour in front of the mirror the previous night, contemplating on her outfit, and had come to the conclusion that it was a perfectly suitable wardrobe for such an occasion as long as Sasuke didn't see.

In other words, it was a fashion disaster.

Well, considering her teammates' outfits, she supposed that it made them a true team now.

Not like that comforted her much. "Is it bad?" she asked uncertainly.

"No no!" Naruto said quickly. He reached forward and touched one of the braids, looked over her again, and grinned. "You look really pretty, Sakura-chan."

She hit him without thinking. Then she realised what she had done and began to apologise.

Naruto stared strangely at her. "Nani? Why are you saying sorry?"

That made her even more uncomfortable. Lately, while conducting Operation: Be Nice to the Uzumaki, Sakura had discovered just how accepting and forgiving the short blonde could be. It made her feel guilty; she had just lost him a thousand brain cells – which he was in desperate need of – and he was wondering why she was apologising.

"Don't ask me that, Naruto," she said, staring straight ahead. "I don't know what to think when I'm around you."

"Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto. Please."

He shook his head. "No, it's not that. I was going to ask you something else." He licked his lips. "I just wanted to know… why didn't you just say yes when the hag said she'd teach you?"

"I can't believe this is coming from you!" she scoffed, bewildered. "Why did you try to be a hero? You and Kiba… you didn't have to do that, not for me."

"Well, I just thought…" Naruto's voice faltered and he kicked at the ground bashfully. He'd done it again. He'd enraged Sakura in some way just by being himself. He was really good at doing that, wasn't he?

Much to Naruto's surprise, Sakura chuckled. "Look at us," she retorted, tilting her head back so that the sun's rays warmed her face. "You know something, Naruto?"

"What?" he asked warily, grimacing when it came out sounding rude. But if Sakura had noticed it, she certainly did a very good job of concealing her reactions.

"We're both idiots. Big idiots," she said ruefully.

"Huh?"

But Sakura was finished. "Come on, Naruto. Let's not be late for our first lesson." And she smiled at him; not a frown or a scowl, not even the flirtatious giggle she had concocted for Sasuke – a genuine smile that allowed Naruto direct access to her radiant mood.

"Sa…Sakura-chan," he stammered.

"Hmm?"

He faltered, and then grinned. "Nothing… I'm just really happy that you're on my team."

She smiled again.

* * *

Other than the fact that she complained more than Naruto did, Yamane Takara fit the image of a taijutsu specialist with surprising precision.

In their first lesson, she pinpointed her new students' individual strengths and weaknesses. Naruto, with his stocky build, was advised to 'stop jumping around and put more weight behind his blocks and momentum in his attacks'. Sakura, on the other hand, was scolded for 'standing too still' and 'not adapting quickly enough'.

Naruto was less than happy when Takara used a Doton jutsu to bind his feet to the ground, and then showered him with lashing blows.

The element that Takara focused on first with Sakura was her speed. The genin had not understood why until she had been fed an explanation.

"You're a skinny kid," Takara had said, being painfully blunt. "Unlike Blondie, you don't really have enough power to knock a guy off his feet. Training your muscles will take a long time – I can't be bothered. You'd do better slipping under the guard and playing the mouse – get in there, score a few hits, and then get out of there. If you attack the vitals from the start, you'll probably end a fight faster than Kurenai."

So Sakura did not complain when the woman started hailing sharp projectiles at her with the purpose of 'snapping up the reflexes'.

They trained profusely with little interruption. Until the fourth day.

"Takara-sensei," Sakura said.

Their instructor glanced at her. "What? If you're looking for compliments you can forget it. I'm getting up at bloody six each morning just to beat some self-defence into you two brats – I'm not here to make you feel better about yourself."

Sakura did not flinch as she would in any other situation; she and Naruto had both figured that Takara had a disorder that prevented her from saying 'Yes, what is it?' outright.

The pink-haired girl glanced pointedly at her teammate and, for once in his life, Naruto caught on.

"That's what we're gonna fix, stupid. We don't want to be interrupting your beauty sleep so we're thinking that maybe we can have these lessons in the evening instead."

Takara smirked shrewdly. "What's my beauty sleep to you?"

Naruto opened his mouth but Sakura answered in his place, figuring that he had done enough harm. Unlike her teammate, she treaded carefully. "Well, you're our teacher. It wouldn't be very good for us if you started falling asleep in the middle of training."

Takara was not convinced. "Just spit it out," she said, bored. "I don't do sucking up."

Sakura's head dropped but Naruto dove right into it. "Okay, fine. Listen up then, hag" – he didn't notice his teammate flinch – "we've got another teammate, Kiba, and we usually run rounds around the village with him. But now we're doing taijutsu with you and we don't have time to run with him."

"And that's my business because…?"

"We don't want him to feel left out, alright? So okay, it's got nothing to do with you, but Kiba and Akamaru are our friends. That's why want to have training later so we can have time to be with them. You can get to sleep in if we do it that way so I don't see why you wouldn't agree." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

He truly did not want to exclude Kiba. The three of them had just started pulling together as a team and it would put a chink in their unstable friendship if Kiba felt detached. Both Naruto and Sakura had noticed that their remaining teammate had been a little quieter than usual. He laughed a lot more than necessary, but each gesture was strained to a degree. They were worried about him.

Takara gulped down a ration bar and was silent for a moment. "You know," she said finally, after a while, "part of the reason I agreed to teach you two brats was because neither of you were selfish enough to leave comrades behind."

The two genins glanced at each other and said nothing.

"Those that can just ditch their friends aren't worthy of being shinobi," the taijutsu specialist continued, staring distantly at a blade of grass. "In a way, I'm one of those people. I was ready to run when my teammate and sensei got killed. It was your sensei, Kurenai, that prevented me from doing that… but even so, I just stood there and watched their murderer walk past and kill more people."

At this, Naruto shuffled uncomfortably.

"Takara-sensei," Sakura hesitated.

The woman began to walk away. "Meet here at six in the evening from tomorrow on."

None of them spoke of Yamane Takara inner demons again.

Team Eight slowly developed the foundations of a full circle. Kiba never admitted to anyone but Akamaru that he had been hurt when, after what he had done for them, Naruto and Sakura ended up leaving him to rot. He had been surprised that they had noticed his downhill mood and had compensated in the one way they could. The morning runs had been their first bonding sessions and he was glad that he wasn't the only one who found them sentimental.

When he was not needed at home, Kiba stayed back after Kurenai had dismissed them to watch his teammates train. When Naruto and Sakura began to develop into sparring with each other, Kiba and Akamaru, using the Juujin Bunshin, introduced them to tag teams.

In doing so, the Inuzukas discovered that Naruto and Sakura complemented each other very well. Their teamwork overwrote any undeveloped skills the two had. If Naruto could engage both their opponents, Sakura would circle like a hawk and wait for openings where she would dart in to land a few kicks and punches before slipping out again. It was an annoying fighting style that Kiba could not deem cowardly because it actually worked.

When the three of them, on Naruto's whim, challenged Takara and found their loss somewhat interesting, they fell into a habit of sparring with the specialist whenever the woman could be bothered. Naruto and Sakura kept up the routine even when Kiba was absent, determined to have something to brag about.

After Kurenai had discovered their routine, she had presented her genins with a set of wrist and ankle weights each.

"But Sensei," Kiba had frowned when he had helped Naruto don his new equipment, "I'm not learning taijutsu with them. I'm not part of it."

Kurenai had raised an eyebrow at him. "But you are part of Team Eight, aren't you?"

Kiba didn't say anything after that – but neither of his companions missed the grin on his face when he sat down to put on his ankle weights.

Sakura had also adjusted her taijutsu attire to become her permanent outfit. Kurenai gave her a heavy jade ring to wear on the end of her hair, which was apparently the quickest way to smash an opponent's nose when turning around. This had been tested out on the day with Naruto but, much to Kiba and Sakura's intrigue, his nose was not the least bit damaged when they saw him the next day.

The genins ate together at Ichiraku's almost every day. They drew marked matches to decide who would pay, but Naruto never seemed to have the honour as many times as his teammates, and for some reason, neither Kiba nor Sakura complained.

When Kurenai decided to join them one day and saw them squabble over ramen flavours and seating arrangements like old friends, she knew that Team Eight, after overcoming more than a huge blockade of emotional obstacles, was finally coming together.

* * *

Naruto twisted and, pivoting at the hip, snapped a roundhouse kick into the air. Sakura grabbed his calf and forced her weight forward, flipping herself into the air as the attack passed harmlessly under her. On landing, however, she had to stumble back two steps before regaining her balance.

Her opponent grinned. "Weights are heavy, huh?"

Sakura nodded and fell back into a ready stance. The weights were a little irritating. They slowed her down considerably and forced her to take up the defensive more often than she was comfortable with. They were the reason she struggled on the team's morning runs, but she was glad to see that the boys had the same problems she did.

After a short moment of shaking out the tension in his limbs, Naruto came charging forward. He thrust a fist forward and laughed softly when Sakura had to use both her hands to stop the blow; she had been advised to avoid such assaults but it was near impossible with her new weights.

Sakura thrust a knee upward in retaliation. Naruto rocked backward on his heels and managed to fling himself into a backward handstand. As his hands took the weight of his body, his legs came rushing upward the force of momentum behind it. With a surprised squeak, Sakura leaned as far back as she could, planting her feet firmly in the ground as Naruto's swept past her face.

Kiba burst out in laughter; Sakura's upper body was bent back at a comically absurd angle, with her knees bent and jutted forward. He was surprised she hadn't overbalanced. "Hey Naruto!" he cackled. "What are the chances of her doing that again in the next ten minutes, do you think?"

Naruto grinned in response and lowered himself into a crouch.

Scowling and glad that, for once, she was permitted to actually hit something when she wanted to, Sakura leapt upward, bearing down on her sparring partner from an aerial angle. She cursed when Naruto easily grabbed her ankle and flung her past him. She growled and prepared to wipe the cocky smile off the jerk's face – when she turned to discover that he was practically pressed against her.

Yelping in alarm, she backpedalled, but her legs gave way as Naruto's slammed into the back of her knees. She fell backward and, unable to find purchase, braced herself for the impact.

But instead of sprawling onto the grass, she was cushioned by something… that breathed.

Naruto licked his lips nervously. When he had seen Sakura fall, he had, out of reflex and concern, dived forward to save her outfit from grass stains. The short blonde couldn't do anything about the blush that was colouring his cheeks. Haruno Sakura was lying on top of him, her face so close to his that he could smell her. Just like in his dreams. Usually, this was the point where he would kiss her.

But he didn't, because he couldn't.

Maybe it had something to do with seeing her every day. If he were to be honest, Naruto had barely thought about his crush on Sakura lately. He had focused profusely on his training and that left little mind capacity for things like romantic fantasies…

Kurenai cleared her throat and stepped forward.

Sakura's eyes snapped open. She blinked at Naruto, whose face was dangerously close to hers. The hand in his grip tightened into a fist. She smirked when he gulped in understandable fear.

She flicked him on the forehead with her other hand. His eyes widened. "Don't do that again," Sakura scolded. She clambered off him

Naruto touched the red spot on his head. He had such a strange expression on his face that Sakura frowned and wondered if she had actually hurt him.

"Naruto?" she asked softly.

The focus returned to his eyes and he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Hehe… sorry about that. So because I saved you, want to go out with me?"

Sakura heaved out a sigh. This was _Naruto_. He never changed. "Baka! What made you think you had a chance, huh?" she demanded. She grabbed an ear and dragged him over to where the remainder of their team waited.

Kurenai smiled when Naruto broke free and ducked behind her, watching warily. "Nice try," she said, and reached over to grab a handful of the boy's jacket. She dumped him on the other side of Kiba.

"Your recoveries were good," she said. "But Naruto, you got in too close to Sakura, opening yourself to attack. I noticed that you made the same mistake with Kiba. I know that you judged your movements according to what you know about your teammates, but you can't rely on this in real life. When you face different opponents, their strengths and weaknesses will vary. Don't get too comfortable in combat."

Naruto nodded, disappointed but wholeheartedly accepting his faults.

"You, Sakura, get distracted too easily and let Kiba provoke you. You know that an aerial approach would not work well against an opponent who is crouched and ready." Seeing the girl's shoulders drop, Kurenai added, "Good improvisation, though. Staying alive is a little more important than looking good."

The genin gave a rare grin.

Kurenai smiled with what she hoped to be encouragement, and turned to Kiba. She was aware that the Inuzuka may have felt undermined, placed in the shadows of his teammates' constant call for attention.

"Kiba," she said, and almost grimaced when the boy looked up at her with a hopeful glint in his eyes. "I can't admit that I understand your clan's taijutsu form, so there is little I can advise you on. But perhaps you should hang back and analyse your opponent's next move before you throw yourself into an attack; it is very easy to miscalculate and place yourself in danger."

"Hai!" Kiba said loudly, grinning. Akamaru barked in surprise to his master's unusually emotional voice.

The three genins were particularly talkative on their way to the Tower. Neither of them noticed the smile that danced across their sensei's face.

* * *

"Naruto! That's a weed!"

Kiba laughed as the other boy sheepishly pulled his hand away from the plant. The team had been dispatched to the forest to gather herbs for the hospital. The genins were to pick out a basketful each and return to Kurenai to have it checked and approved. Sakura quickly learned to keep an eye on Naruto.

Kiba chuckled and leaned over to reach for a handful of purple leaves.

"I wouldn't be laughing, Kiba," Kurenai said wryly, appearing behind her student. "You've already picked this tree – and that plant is poisonous."

He pulled back hastily. "Ah, sorry, Sensei. It's a bit hard to remember which trees I've already checked out and Akamaru's not being very helpful." He glowered down at the small dog; Akamaru had been sitting out of the task, claiming to his master that it was dangerous to handle possible poisonous substances with his mouth.

Kurenai nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, it was the human mind's natural instinct to approach what was closest. While observing her genins, the jounin had noticed that only Sakura appeared to have a solid idea of what to look for, and even she made the common mistake of wasting time on an area she had already harvested. Kiba also seemed to have adequate knowledge but, unlike his female teammate, tended not to realise that he was overlapping his searches, and his impatience often traced him to trouble – such as obliviously attempting to poison patients.

Needless to say, Naruto was hopeless.

"Weeds, weeds, weeds," he grumbled. He kicked a tuft of grass at his feet. "It's all just-"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded and grabbed him by the arm to pull him back. "That one wasn'ta weed!"

"Argh!"

Yes, Kurenai decided, it was time for a break.

She gathered her genins. They stared glumly at the small pile of greenery they had managed to find. They shifted guiltily as their gaze landed on the ridiculously large pile of 'trash' Kurenai had sorted out of the main pile.

Simultaneously, they dropped their heads and echoed, "Sorry, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai sighed. "Don't worry about it." Then she smiled. "Maybe I should teach you a jutsu that will make your life easier."

Naruto jumped to his feet immediately. "Jutsu? You're going to teach us a new move right, Sensei? Right, right, right, right, ri-"

"Sit down and shut up!" Sakura snapped, and Kurenai was amused at the speed at which Naruto obeyed.

"This jutsu is used by reconnaissance teams to mark the areas they have already patrolled," she explained. Naruto visibly settled when he realised that they were not learning a technique that involved explosions. "It can also be used to leave behind a sign for your teammates if you are separated. It can help you remember which areas you have already searched."

Kurenai performed the necessary handseals and pressed her palm against the nearest tree. The genins got up and leaned in close to observe the circular impression that had been left on the bark. The black mark was about the size of a fist, consisting of two circles, one contained within a larger one, and a dot in the middle of the smaller circle.

"Ne, Kurenai-sensei," Naruto said curiously. "What's that?"

"It's the jutsu. It leaves behind a mark that will allow you to recognise areas. The size and time they take to disappear depends on the amount of chakra used."

"But what is that?"

Kurenai blinked. "What's what?"

Kiba pointed at the symbol. "That shape thing. What is it?"

"Each ninja has their own chakra signature and it moulds the insignia into a specific shape that best characterises the user. The mark will vary with different people, so it is considered difficult to mirror the image of someone else's mark. Mine, for example, is an eye. Yours will be different."

"An eye?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Or a bullseye, depending on how you look at it," Kurenai chuckled.

Predictably, Sakura was the first to master the technique. In a short span of five minutes, she had been able to produce the jutsu and scale it down to the size of her thumb. The insignia that scorched into the tree resembled a flower, reflecting her namesake. Kurenai found it amusing.

It was Naruto who, surprisingly, managed to follow Sakura's lead. He successfully imprinted his mark on the tree. Except… it was taller than Kurenai, much wider than an Akimichi, and had to curl around the entire trunk.

"Was that intentional?" Kurenai asked dryly, recalling her student's constant desire to acquire attention. She prayed to Kami that she would not see a similar insignia on the Hokage Monument the next morning.

"Of course not!" Naruto said indignantly. "But I don't get it; what'd I do wrong?"

"Too much chakra, of course," Kiba remarked. "I've probably been using too little, so that's why I can't get mine to come up."

The blonde frowned. "But I can't even feel how much I've used."

"Impossible," Sakura dismissed. "I can feel the drain all the time."

Kurenai smoothly steered the attention away from Naruto before more enquiries could be launched. "Your reserves are small, Sakura, whereas Naruto was born with a larger chakra supply. He is less perceptive to the drain."

"Wow," Kiba said, slapping Naruto's back even as Sakura continued to remain thoughtful. "That's a whole swimming pool of chakra – way to go, Naruto!"

The blonde only smiled weakly.

Akamaru barked and they turned toward him. The puppy was circling the tree that bore Naruto's mark. Realising that he had yet to discern what it depicted, Kiba walked around the tree until he had a full view of it. "Oh hey! It's a fox!"

Kurenai felt like groaning. This was not making her job any easier. There was little she could say now; it would become suspicious, especially to Sakura, if she began answering all the questions for Naruto.

"Why a fox, Naruto?" Sakura asked, turning to stare at her teammate.

Naruto shuffled under her curious stare. It reminded him of the constant glaring he received from the villagers. He was certain that, if he ever chose to reveal to them the demon he contained, the stare would morph into a resentful glower. They would hate him for it, just like all the others that he had come across, so as much as he hated lying, he would keep quiet.

"I like foxes," he ended up muttering.

Sakura's eyes widened. Then, sensing that, for once, the blonde was done talking, she turned away and pulled Kiba away to help him with the jutsu.

Half an hour later, Team Eight was back to gathering herbs. Naruto had successfully managed reduce his variation of the jutsu to the size of a fridge; still blatantly eye-catching to any pursuers – but he was gradually learning to monitor the amount of chakra he put into the technique. Kiba had less trouble after Sakura assisted him. His insignia was that of a dog's paw, in resemblance to his clan.

The genins used their new jutsu to mark the trees that they had already picked. Their searches sped up slightly, though Kiba and Sakura soon learned to double-check any trees that bore an oversized fox head mark.

Naruto soon grew impatient with their progress; at this rate, there wouldn't be time for another mission. "Hey, maybe I should get my Kage Bunshins to-"

Kurenai paled. Kiba and Sakura shouted a simultaneous "No!"

* * *

"Ninja Art: Soul Brand Seal!"

Kiba grimaced as Naruto's hand slammed down on his back, which served as a temporary surface for the scroll to rest upon as they walked the halls of the Tower. "Hey, Naruto, make sure you don't turn me into a fox," he warned.

"Don't worry!" Naruto said confidently. He prised the scroll of his teammate's back and held it in front of him. Kurenai had told him to borrow a scroll off Sakura, saying that it would help restrict the area of which he had to pour chakra into. Indeed, Naruto found that the mark no longer resembled a giant shadow. The points of the fox insignia's ears grew more defined, and the mark itself was not just larger than his head.

"Look at this, Kurenai-sensei!" he exclaimed, rushing to show his mentor. "The whole thing fits on the paper now!"

"About time," she teased light-heartedly. Naruto grinned. She drew the chakra from the scroll's surface and expelled it, removing the mark from the parchment so her student could attempt the jutsu again.

"Thanks, Sensei! Ninja Art-"

"Wait a moment, Naruto," Kurenai said abruptly.

Naruto paused, hand hovering over Kiba's hunched back. "What is it?"

"Hurry up," Kiba complained. "I'm getting tired!"

"Quit complaining!"

"Hey! _I'm _the one doing you a favour!"

"Yeah, and _you're _the one who's-"

"Quiet down!" Sakura hissed. "Let Sensei speak!" At this, the boys instantly stopped and stood at attention.

"Thank you, Sakura," Kurenai said, intrigued by the amount of control the pink-haired kunoichi had over the males of the team. "I've noticed that all of you still tend to say the name of the jutsu before you perform it."

"Aren't we supposed to? Everyone else does," Kiba said.

"Some people find it easier to concentrate on the jutsu if they say the name aloud," Kurenai explained, leading the group up the staircase. "It actually isn't necessary in moulding chakra."

"Really?" Sakura asked, bewildered. "I didn't know that."

"Silent performing of techniques isn't taught at the Academy – some instructors don't even know this. I find it easier to say the name to perform higher-ranked jutsus, but it is better if you don't. You are basically announcing your tactics to your opponent. It gives them time to prepare and puts you at a disadvantage. Against a ninja that is a fast thinker, this could be deadly. Just remember that."

Naruto wore a rare solemn expression. "Is that why I always lost when we had spars back at the Academy? Because I was dumb?"

His companions stared at him. Then Kiba shrugged. "I used to lose a lot of times too, you know. Besides, we were always put up against Sasuke or Shino, and they probably think faster than you eat ramen."

"Kiba's right, Naruto," Kurenai agreed. "While your strength may not lie in stopping to think, your 'never give up' attitude should more than make up for it. You can endure longer than your smarter classmates, I am sure."

'Not Sasuke-kun,' Sakura almost blurted. She managed to hold it back at the last moment, before it escaped her lips. It had not taken her long to discover that Naruto did not take well to mention of the Uchiha, and as she was still undergoing Operation: Be Nice To The Uzumaki, she carefully censored anything that came out of her mouth.

The Hokage seemed to be pleased to see them. "Ah, I'm so popular all of a sudden," he chuckled heartily.

Kurenai glanced around the room and noticed that Hatake Kakashi's team was lined up against the wall. The other jounin nodded politely and his eye crinkled in what she interpreted to be a smile. She nodded her greeting and her gaze flickered down to the genins that accompanied him. They were a silent bunch, an unusual mixture of unwilling talkers.

Hyuuga Hinata made a small squeaking sound upon seeing a certain blonde, prompting Sakura to turn her head toward the other girl - thus bringing to her sight a raven-haired genius.

"Sasuke-kun!" she gasped, and started toward her long-time crush. _Oh my God, he's-_

"Sakura," Kurenai said disapprovingly, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Naruto looked crestfallen. "I am sure that it can wait."

The pink-haired girl seemed to realise whose company she was sharing, and hastily apologised to the Hokage for the interruption. She stepped back to stand next to Kiba, dodging his curious glances but never letting her gaze avert from Sasuke, only looking down and blushing when he appeared to be glancing at her.

Sarutobi smiled at the exchange. "That is alright," he assured. "It's good to see young Sakura's friendliness toward Sasuke."

Kiba nudged Naruto and made a mock choking sound, but paused when he noticed the blonde to be strangely quiet. _I guess he still has that crush on Sakura after all,_ the Inuzuka thought. He turned to glance at his female teammate, who appeared to have become a totally different person. Gone was the Haruno Sakura who had brought sweets to training, who had just an hour ago tried profusely to educate Naruto on the difference between weeds and herbs…

Gone was the Sakura that had been part of Team Eight.

Kiba unconsciously curled his hands into a fist, remembering to loosen them as to not draw blood when Akamaru whimpered into his ear. For weeks, they had worked so hard to become a team, to be friends – and all it took was for Sasuke to stand there, silent and cool, to shatter it.

Inuzukas were territorial by nature and Kiba felt that Sasuke was on his property.

Kurenai noticed her student's agitation and laid a hand on his shoulder. Kiba glanced up at her and gave a subtle nod. The jounin looked over at Naruto and grew faintly concerned when she saw that the boy was not at all reacting, only staring at the floor and hiding his face from view.

"Kakashi and I were just discussing his team's capabilities for a C-rank mission," Sarutobi said, nodding toward said jounin.

Naruto slowly lifted his head. He had barely heard any of the conversation, most of the words having been filtered out by his depression. But he definitely registered the 'C-rank mission'. He saw Old Man Hokage smiling at him, expecting an outburst – and even though he didn't feel like it, Naruto gave him one, just to assure his companions that he was still Uzumaki Naruto.

"Ne, Sensei!" he said loudly, pasting on a grin as he looked up at his mentor. "How come _they _get a good mission? Aren't we ready for one? We've done, like, thirty stupid D-rank ones and they're getting boring." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke jerk his head up sharply at the amount of missions they had completed, and Naruto allowed himself a smirk. It felt good.

But then he saw Sakura's blush and shy smile that was not directed at him – and found that it didn't feel nearly as good enough.

C-ranked missions included possible contact with enemy ninja, and Kurenai knew this better than anyone; her first such mission had almost cost her a limb. She wasn't sure if she wanted her genins to encounter these dangers already. It wasn't that she deemed them incapable; they were adequately skilled, she had seen to that. She just could not make it past her personal barrier. She had gone to careful measures to protect and guide them. Like Takara, she had lost too many people in her life. She did not want to see the three children hurt in any way.

"Naruto," Sakura scowled, finally tearing her gaze away from the Uchiha. "Don't be an idiot. Kurenai-sensei knows what to do." Her words came out harsher than she had intended and she winced inwardly when Naruto's shoulders fell. She almost uttered an apology. Almost. She doubted Sasuke would consider anyone who apologised to the dead-last. So she kept quiet. _I'll make it up to you, Naruto… later._

Sarutobi was old but he hadn't let his age deter him. He could see young Naruto's apparent distress and he could see why the blonde was upset. Kurenai appeared to be dealing with it already, so the Hokage left it to her. However, Kurenai appeared to be having doubts herself. Sarutobi had endured many weathered years and he thought he could relate to the jounin's fears. Like all good mentors, Kurenai was afraid for her charges.

But then, mentors were like parents, and every mother had to realise that their children would grow even if they did not notice it themselves.

"I just assigned Team Seven an escort mission to the Land of Waves," he said. He reached for a clipboard and flipped through it. "I believe that your team should be ready for a C-rank mission as well, Kurenai. It would be a good beginner's experience for them."

"Perhaps," Kurenai said tightly, her lips barely moving.

"Sensei," Kiba began. When the jounin turned to him, he let his voice trail off and shook his head, murmuring a "Nothing" in replacement. He had intended to plead Kurenai to accept the Third's offer – but he decided to leave the judgment to their sensei's decision. The usual tasks they were given weren't particularly entertaining, but it had been those simple duties that had fostered Team Eight's teamwork, and if Kurenai didn't think they were ready, then it was hopeless to complain.

Kiba glanced curiously at his teammates. It seemed that the fight had bled out of Naruto, leaving the blonde a shell of the original hyperactive genin that the Inuzuka had begun accepting as a close friend, perhaps even a brother. He had complained, but only once, and if Kiba could truly admit that he knew his teammate, he did not believe that Naruto would only pitch in one voice to the argument.

After all, it was no secret that the loudmouthed ninja and Tora the cat did not get along.

And Sakura… Kiba did not know what to make of her. He thought he… respectedher. She was smart even though she tried to pretend that she wasn't, and she was kind when she wanted to be. In the last two weeks, she had been particularly likeable, loosening up and allowing more of her true personality to flow through the cracks in her exterior. She had laughed a lot more easily, smiled on a regular basis, and even kept the Fist of Punishment under careful watch.

But in two minutes, she had reverted back the Academy Haruno Sakura; someone who acted like an idiot because she happened to like a Uchiha, and treated Naruto like dirt regardless of whatever generosity he might have given her. And Kiba hated it.

"What C-ranks are there to choose from, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked quietly.

All three of her genins abandoned their troubling thoughts to stare incredulously at their sensei.

The red-eyed woman smiled faintly at them. "What? Isn't this what you want? Or maybe I misinterpreted… I suppose I did. Then I'll just-"

"No!" Naruto shouted in chagrin. "We want to try this out, don't we, guys? Right, Kiba?" The taller boy nodded furiously, the agreement echoed by the small puppy in his arms. "Right… Sakura?"

He tried to make eye contact with his teammate, tried to infuse her with assurance. But even as she nodded her conformity, he could not bring himself to look into her half-smile or recognise the glimmer in her eyes. Because he knew they were not for him, and it hurt.

Sarutobi blew a ring of smoke from his pipe and flipped the clipboard pages to the C-ranked missions. He understood Kurenai's intended meaning of 'to choose from'. She would consider the missions and ultimately decide if her team was suited for it. The Hokage was pleased that, while she was perhaps a little uptight about the situation, Yuuhi Kurenai was only doing what was best for her students.

"Hmm, firstly, a tradesman in Lightning has ordered a certain animal as a pet and needs it delivered to his country." He saw Kurenai's taut expression and wisely moved on, understanding that she might not want to voice her concerns in front of children and another jounin. "There is also one that does not require leaving the Fire Country" – at this, Kurenai lifted her head slightly – "A tailor in Otafuku Gai wishes to move to the village and has requested assistance in transporting his goods."

With her genins looking hopefully at her, Kurenai could not quite summon the apathy to refuse. Although they had not gotten down on their knees and pleaded, their imaginary tails were wagging faster than Akamaru's. You didn't need to examine the guts to see what a drawing depicted.

"When are we expected back?"

She could not help but smile when Naruto silently punched the air and bumped his fist with Kiba's.

Sarutobi smiled and consulted his notes. "I would estimate that it is a two day travel to the town… so, one week?"

Kurenai nodded. "We will leave tomorrow."

For the first time since Team Eight had entered, Kakashi spoke up, his voice light. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama," he said respectfully.

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"I was just going to propose that, since the Wave Country generally lies in the direction to Otafuku Gai, our teams could travel together until we have to part ways." He smiled at Kurenai. "It would help with protecting our escort and I am sure that the kids would like to socialise" – he remained blissfully unaware to the blushes Hinata and Sakura sported – "Would you agree, Kurenai?"

Naruto's mouth popped open, and when it closed again, Kurenai could well hear the grinding of his teeth together. She knew that the blonde would be happier without having to share company with Uchiha Sasuke– but Kakashi had, intentionally or not, placed her in a situation where saying no would bring offense.

Yuuhi Kurenai despised being manipulated in any way. She was uncertain as of yet if Kakashi had offered out of pure friendliness or if he was acting on a grudge on the team selections. Having known the Copy Ninja for more than his reputation for years on hand, she doubted that Hatake Kakashi would be particularly resentful. Still, she could not truly believe that one of Konoha's most skilled shinobi would have no ulterior motives. _He probably wants to see why I was insistent on this team's composition, _she mused. _After all, I did steal two of his students._

"Of course I agree," she said, smiling at the silver-haired man, who responded with a similar gesture. "Shall we meet at the gates the next morning?"

"I have no problem with that. How about seven o'clock?"

"Seven is fine."

* * *

He usually didn't have trouble getting to sleep – he had more problems trying not to sleep _in_. But here he was, lying on his back, gazing up at the ceiling with his arms folded under his head and the thin blanket he owned strewn over his torso.

Naruto figured that he should be excited. At long last, his team had been given a real mission. He had never been outside the village before and had constantly wondered about what was beyond the walls that framed the borders. The mission itself was not particularly exciting – they would probably encounter close to no combat. But at least it was something.

He had already packed his bag, carefully folded spare clothes and his sleeping bag into the pockets, separating them from ration bars, bottles of water and extra kunai and shuriken sets. He'd also packed several instant ramen cups to chase away any nightmares he might encounter in the night.

For once, Uzumaki Naruto was prepared, and anyone who knew him well would be pleasantly surprised.

When he would boast to Kurenai-sensei the next day, he decided not to mention that it had been a nervous reaction to distract himself from thinking about the few moments in the Hokage's office. He had deliberately put off brooding for as long as possible.

He should have known better.

Now, with nothing better to do than let his consciousness wander, Naruto could only focus on the hurt Sakura had inflicted upon him. She had abandoned their carefully fostered friendship so easily, so readily. If the blonde could describe their relationship as a rope, it had been in the process of bonding the individual strands before it had snapped. He was certain that if he peered closely enough, he wouldn't even see a single thread still intact.

It was all Sasuke's fault. Naruto had never liked the other boy much in the Academy, especially not after accidentally kissing him on team selection day. He hadn't meant to, but since that day he felt a certain prickling in his scalp whenever he thought the Uchiha was nearby.

When those moments came up, he was more concerned with trying to push out the disturbing taste of Sasuke's spit than trying to prevent the bastard from stealing Sakura.

Naruto frowned and turned over, staring instead at the wall. True, he was perhaps overreacting a little bit. It wasn't like he or Sakura were anything more than teammates, as much as he wished otherwise. She was a friend and Naruto was naturally protective of his friends. He was certain that, if any fangirl tried to seduce Kiba, he would overlook his 'don't hit girls 'cause they hit you back twice as hard' rule.

He just wanted to protect Sakura, that's all. It wasn't like Sasuke would be any good for her. He wasn't healthy, and Naruto was not judging him by his skin complexion. He was too serious for someone like Sakura, and he had made it perfectly clear that he did not care the least bit for her attention. Even if, miraculously, he gave her a chance, Sakura would only get hurt.

Naruto pulled the blanket over his head and curled into a ball against the cold night breeze. He didn't want to think too badly of Sasuke, only because Sakura would hate him for it. He tried to forget how the dreaded fake emotions had slipped too easily into the pink-haired girl's expression. She no longer smiled genuine smiles, and she hadn't even tried to apologise since they had left the Tower.

But that was alright, the blonde concluded. He would forgive her, because he would always forgive Sakura-chan. She didn't mean it – and even if she did, he didn't want to think so. She had at least supported their mission campaign, and that had been before she had found out that they would be travelling for a short while with Team Seven. _Then _she had lost control of her emotions and had jumped into the air, squealing.

Still, she was in there somewhere. She was still Sakura. Or at least, he hoped so.

Naruto smiled lightly at the thought and closed his eyes, trying to even out his breathing and allow his mind to rest. He needed his sleep. They would not fail this mission. He would shove it in Sasuke's face and force him to swallow acknowledgment.

The contented smile remained on his features even as he slipped into slumber.

Everything would be fine the next day. It would work out.


	6. No Longer a Toy

**Chapter 6 – No Longer a Toy**

Naruto tended to disregard his alarm clock's constant calls, which commonly resulted in him being late. He ignored it yet again that morning, but only because he had already been wide awake and double-checking his supplies when it went off.

Umino Iruka was pleasantly surprised when he had opened the door to reveal the grinning blonde. So pleased, in fact, that he offered to treat the two of them to Ichiraku's.

The chuunin had already heard about Team Eight's upcoming mission; Iruka made it a personal duty to involve himself in anything that concerned one hyperactive Uzumaki Naruto. He could not help but fret over the boy and had to constantly remind himself that he was no longer Naruto's sensei, that his concern would make no difference because, at the end of the day, it was Yuuhi Kurenai who held boy's life in her hand.

Not that it saved Naruto from having to sit through ten minutes of straight lectures and procedures. By the end of it, the genin had almost shoved chopsticks into his ears.

Naruto admitted to feel slightly better when he unloaded his anxiety on his former teacher. He worried that the mission would go wrong, but Iruka assured him that, if he stayed in line and performed to his personal best, his team would come home in one piece. Iruka also guaranteed that Sakura would come round. Hearing that, Naruto headed off to the village's border with high hopes.

If anyone asked, Yamane Takara would never admit to have let a genin clean her house to the point where a single speck of dust was treated as a plague. Half a dozen shadow clones were working away at her apartment even as she and her young visitor took a walk through the woods.

"Otafuku Gai?" she repeated when Naruto informed her of his mission. She grinned roguishly. "I can't believe Kurenai agreed to that one."

The genin cocked his head curiously. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Well, there's this one street there…"

Naruto gulped at his taijutsu sensei's evil grin and fled. "Don't wanna hear it!" he yelled.

Takara smiled and affectionately grabbed her subordinate in a headlock. "You'll find out when you get there, anyway. Can't miss it really… come on, kid."

"But I've gotta meet the others now," Naruto protested. "I only came down to tell you that we won't be in the village for a week."

"I know, I know. I'm running out of saké, and we're going to pass the gates anyway."

It was her way of saying: "Shut up and walk with me, you brat." Naruto knew for a fact that she rarely drank the alcoholic substance these days.

"Don't think you won't be attacked even though you're not leaving the country," Takara said casually as they walked. She slung an arm around the short boy's shoulders and Naruto felt a slight pressure on his arm as her fingers squeezed. "Keep that guard up, or you'll be picked off like flies on chicken."

Naruto blinked at the woman's face; Takara was staring right ahead and her dark eyes were clouded. He grinned and threw an elbow at her, which she dodged deftly. "Don't worry about it! We'll be fine. I'll protect everyone."

Takara looked down and gave him a small smile. "You'd better," she said.

* * *

It wasn't hard to see why the brat's mood dropped so quickly, Takara mused. Before they had met up with the others, Naruto had been bouncing so hard that Takara could practically hear the utensils clanking in his backpack. He had babbled constantly, and it wasn't until she grabbed him and tossed him over her shoulder that he learned the significance of the words 'shut up'.

The enthusiasm noticeably dropped a few notches when they arrived at the gates. Kurenai's team was due to travel with another genin team – _that scarecrow's, _Takara remembered with a smirk – and Sakura was clearly infatuated with one of the other genins.

The girl was not particularly unfriendly by any accounts - Takara knew this from their taijutsu sessions. Sakura was intelligent and the woman found it difficult to swallow that she would brush away Naruto's greeting without the merest acknowledgment for something as foolish as a crush. It wasn't like she had other things to do, either. She just sat on a rock next to the moody Uchiha boy, who looked anywhere but at her.

Naruto's disappointment was perceptible no matter how he tried to hide it. Kiba spent the majority of his time glaring at the turned Uchiha. Takara glanced around and noticed that Kurenai was not present. Of all people, she highly doubted that her friend would be late. She was most likely preparing with the other jounin, and would arrive within a minute of the allocated time.

"That guy," Takara said to Kiba, nodding at the source of Sakura's obsession, "he's an Uchiha, right?"

"A bastard, if you ask me," Kiba retorted. "Right, Akamaru?"

Takara chuckled and nodded thoughtfully. _So… this is the kid. The last Uchiha._ She had heard rumours that the boy was a prodigy and she admitted to have had slight interest in him. Unfortunately, his social etiquette was worse than Naruto's and he didn't appear to be much of a team player. His teammates were equally silent, standing to the side. They all seemed to have problems; the Uchiha an ego issue, his female teammate a tomato complexion management difficulty, and their companion a problem with exposure to the sun.

_Kurenai's luckier than she thinks._

"So what are you doing here anyway?" Kiba asked, eyeing her curiously. He looked her up and down. "You're not coming with us, are you?"

"Of course I'm not," she snorted. "I'm not going to spend a whole week with you brats. I'll be at home, relaxing."

"Then why'd you come?"

"I was on my way to get some saké."

And then the pest was clambering onto _her back_ and tugging at her cheeks as if to make her smile. "Liar!" Kiba accused. "You came to see us off, didn't you? _Didn't you?"_

Takara flipped him off and stepped lightly on his chest as he lay on the ground. "Zip it," she hissed, ignoring Naruto's amused gaze on her. "I wouldn't care if you brats got dumped in a stove!"

Kiba coughed up dirt and shoved her off him. He tugged her to one side, away from the main group. "But you _do _care, don't you? About us? At least, I know you care about Naruto and Sakura. I see you smile when they do something right."

She opened her mouth, and then snapped it shut. _Heaven forbid, __I'm cornered by a kid._ "What's up with Sakura anyway?" she asked, attempting to shift the focal point of Kiba's concentration.

He fell for it easily, too easily. "The bastard," he said darkly, nodding at the Uchiha. "She likes him – has since we were in the Academy." He gestured for Takara to lean in closer, and, annoyed, she did. "He changes her, you know," the Inuzuka whispered. "He makes her a totally different person. It's like I don't know her."

"Really now?" she said, and Kiba nodded solemnly. She straightened and watched as the pink-haired girl attempted to strike up conversation with the silent Uchiha. Then her gaze flickered to Naruto, who stood to the side, kicking at the dirt. "I'd go up there and slap some sense into her oversized brain," Takara said softly. "But I'm not Kurenai, and it's not in my place to poke my nose in her team's business."

Kiba grunted. "Are all girls like that?"

She pulled back the hood of his jacket and ruffled his hair. "Some of them. I think Sakura is half-half. She's not like this when _he's _not there, is she?"

"Nope."

"She'll probably snap out of it after he leaves. But there's no telling if she'll fall back into this when she sees him again. It all depends on herself. If she knows what's real and what's not, she'll grow out of it with time."

"You sure about that?" he asked doubtfully. "Naruto looks quite down, and he's usually jumping like a chimpanzee on missions."

"You'll have to deal with him yourself." Takara yanked the hood back over Kiba's head. "But whatever the problem is, you guys will do fine if you really are a team. If you can't pull it back together, it just means that you guys suck at teamwork."

Kiba grumbled, shoved his hands roughly in his pockets and sat down cross-legged next to Naruto.

Takara told herself that she would leave when the jounin instructors arrived. But when Kurenai and Hatake Kakashi (Takara remembered him as the 'scarecrow prodigy') greeted their genins with a briefing and introduced a grey-haired man, Takara found herself standing by the sidelines, leaning against a tree and watching from the shadows. She noticed everything; she saw how Naruto all too eagerly jumped up to meet his mentor, how Sakura looked glum when she moved away from the Uchiha to stand with her team, saw how Kiba frowned at his teammates and muttered unhappily to Akamaru.

She wondered if they were ready, as a team, to face missions outside the ordinary D-rank. Her own first C-rank had not been memorable.

Kurenai had her genins open their packs for her to inspect, but after she had approved Sakura's and noticed her former teammate's presence, she let the duty fall to the pink-haired girl and walked over to Takara. "I didn't think I would see you here."

"Of all places, _Otafuku Gai_?" Takara asked with a smirk.

Kurenai rolled her eyes and had the urge to yank her friend's hair in a similar fashion to the way she had when they had been youths. "We're escorting a tailor back to the village, nothing else," she said firmly. "No time to wander _that _street."

"Remember what Kouta-sensei's 'business'turned out to be?" Takara chuckled.

"Too well."

"Masuru wanted to go too, didn't he? Got halfway before Sensei grabbed him back."

They shared a chuckle. The two of them peered at the figures bathed in the sun's morning rays. Sakura scowled at Naruto's choice of rations and attempted to throttle Kiba when his pack turned out to consist of more of Akamaru's chew toys than spare provisions. The women noticed a small smile flirting on her lips.

"She wasn't like that two minutes ago," Takara said, nodding at Sakura.

"She's having trouble deciding between her team and Uchiha. I can't say I agree with what she is leaning toward at this point." Kurenai paused. "They were coming together before this happened."

"I know. Why don't you just ask for another mission so you don't have to tag along with Scarecrow?"

It was difficult tugging the corner of her lips down after they tilted up at the Copy Ninja's old nickname. "There were no other missions that did not involve leaving the Fire Nation."

"Ah. Good luck then."

"Why are you here, Takara?"

"I don't know. Probably shouldn't be here at all." Kurenai had a way of staying quiet and waiting patiently for a response. Takara thought she had weaned herself off the annoying trait, but she eventually gave into it yet again. "The last time I let my feelings make their own decisions, they blew up in my face. That had me stuck for more than ten years. I can't trust myself not to fall for those cheap emotions again." She shook her head. "But those brats – it's hard not to get drawn into them. They're still shinobi, and they'll die one day, probably before I do. Then it'll be back to step minus ten, and I really don't want that."

Kurenai rubbed soothing circles on her friend's arm, lightly brushing over the scars on Takara's wrist. "Survival rates are higher these days," she reminded gently.

Takara chuckled and glanced at her companion. "I've only known those kids for three weeks max, but if they're not talking about ramen flavours, they're all 'Kurenai-sensei this' and 'Kurenai-sensei that'. I don't know what you think, but those three brats of yours respect you a lot."

For the first time in a long time, Kurenai gave her a sympathetic look. "You would have made a great jounin sensei," she said.

Takara gritted her teeth and her eyes dulled as they froze over Team Eight's genins. "No," she shook her head. "I'd probably be better off in ANBU. At least there I won't have to learn names and remember them just to see them on the KIA stone the next day. A place where I don't have time to think… ANBU would be good."

"Then let me rephrase; you would have made a great kunoichi had you chosen to continue."

A pause. Then a nod. "I know."

* * *

The client that Team Seven was charged with escorting turned out to be a powerfully built man in his late fifties by the name of Tazuna. He had almost as much spiky hair as Naruto, except in a contrasting grey. Upon greeting his hired team and turning his attention to his temporary companions, he looked down unimpressively at Naruto and stared as the blonde shot him a wide grin.

Then he turned away and started walking toward the gate. "Boy, am I super glad I didn't end up saddled with you, short kid," he muttered in a voice loud enough for the chuunin sitting behind the report desk to catch the end of.

Kiba learned to watch Naruto carefully after the first murder attempt, and was highly tempted to pull out the leash in his pack after the third.

Sakura was rather occupied and had other things to focus her mind on other than helping to restrain her irrational teammate. She walked near the back of the group, close to the silver-haired jounin of Team Seven, the better to sneak glances at Sasuke and to conceal the blush that typically followed. Not that he would have noticed; he only kept his eyes on the road. She felt her spirits fall slightly. She had been looking forward to the mission and to getting to know Sasuke better. Why wasn't he looking at her?

She figured after the first hour of travel that she was simply not trying hard enough, so she tried to draw attention to herself in a more direct fashion. "Um… Tazuna-san?" she asked, and was thrilled when the majority of the group turned their heads to acknowledge her voice. Her words were among the first ones spoken in a while – other than Naruto's whining and Kiba's threatening growls of annoyance, which barely counted as civilised talk.

"What?" the bridge-builder grunted.

She thought she saw Sasuke's eyes flicker, and hurriedly tried to continue the conversation. "I was just, um, wondering… didn't your country provide you with ninja escort? Why did you come to Leaf?"

Tazuna only laughed, and Sakura had the sinking feeling that she had just asked something very stupid.

She waited for someone to explain, expecting Kurenai to come to the rescue – but she didn't, and Sakura could only hang her head and try to figure out what she had said wrong. She was vaguely surprised when even Naruto didn't spring to her defence or try to console her. She waited for him to cut in, but after ten minutes of silence from the blonde, she gave up.

Instead, it was Hinata who spoke up. The pale-eyed girl had gradually slowed her pace until it had matched Sakura's and they were walking side by side. Sakura did not notice her presence until it was announced with a nervous "Ano… S-Sakura-san, Wave does not have a ninja village."

Sakura cocked her head at the other girl's voice. She had not really noticed Hyuuga Hinata in their Academy years – she just knew that she was the heir to her clan, extremely quiet, and was not an official member of the Sasuke Fan Club™. "Why not?" she asked graciously.

Hinata's fingers pressed against each other and she refused to look up. "It doesn't n-need one," she said finally. Sakura waited, and Hinata took a deep breath. "It is too small. Larger countries are… more likely to be attacked. But small islands like the Wave Country don't receive much hostile interference, so even if they trained ninja, they would not have much chance to put them to use."

Sakura noticed that Sasuke turned his head briefly, and she was overjoyed that he was perhaps acknowledging her friendliness toward his teammate. She did not realise that he was more interested that Hinata had gone through the majority of the explanation without a stutter.

So, obliviously, she smiled brightly at her fellow kunoichi. "Arigatou, Hinata," she said kindly. "I didn't know that."

Hinata nodded dumbly and said nothing else.

Sakura continued to stare at her from her peripheral vision. Perhaps Hinata wasn't too weird after all… she shrugged and diverted her attention before the other girl's skin remained permanently red.

A short moment later, Hinata froze, and when Sakura paused to look back at her, she saw that a splash of dark crimson liquid had streaked across her cheek, glistening brightly even against the Hyuuga's profuse blush.

There was a metallic clinking sound, and she turned in time to see the remains of Hatake Kakashi's shredded body falling to the ground in a bloody puddle.

Then she realised that she, too, was covered in blood.

* * *

Kurenai did not know what Kakashi was thinking – and she doubted she would want to. He had basically abandoned his team and their client, leaving them open to threat. She pursed her lip and her hand was halfway to her weapons pouch before she let it fall to her side. It was obvious through the way that they paused to look around and acted only when they saw him that the foreign nin were targeting Tazuna. It was Hatake's mission, not hers. He would have had his reasons for his actions; her intervention would probably not be highly appreciated.

She recognised the two assailants as a pair of Mist brothers from the Bingo Book. They darted away from Kakashi's 'body' and sprinted toward Tazuna, shuriken chains stretched between them as they advanced.

Kurenai reached for her students' shoulders, advising them not to act. But before she could reach Naruto, a feral growl erupted from her pupil's throat and Kurenai paused, her hand hovering over him.

Tazuna was positioned behind Hinata, who had gone chalk white and had frozen to the spot, her eyes wide in fear. Sakura was standing in front of her, mouth open and reaching shakily for a kunai. The Mist-nin were streaking directly at them.

Like hell Naruto could just stand around and watch that.

He leapt forward, formed a handseal and snarled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A score of clones burst into existence. Each wielded a kunai, and as they dived forward as a human bombard, their targets' deaths were almost imminent.

Or not. The Mist-nins swung their bladed chain with frightening dexterity and control, easily knocking the clones off their bodies and destroying them. They continued to advance, undeterred by the several kunai stabbed into their bodies.

Naruto held himself in position anyway, shielding Sakura and Hinata from the murderous glares. When they were twelve yards away and still gaining speed, Naruto saw the first of the impaled kunai wobble and fall from one man's hip. The others soon followed suit. The blades had apparently not cut deep, perhaps not even reaching flesh. Armour – had to be.

His breathing quickened and raced with adrenaline. He had no idea how they had gotten there, but he found himself facing the impending assault, a handful of shuriken in one hand and a kunai in the other.

He threw the shuriken first. The projectiles spiralled toward their target. The Mist-nin swiped their gauntleted forearms and effortlessly deflected the futile assault. Naruto growled and lowered himself into a crouch, gripping his remaining weapon. It was too late to draw another. The bladed chains were a fearsome foe, considering how they had practically torn a jounin apart. But Naruto would be damned to hell if he let them hurt Sakura.

Perhaps he had unknowingly released a little of the 'killing intent' Iruka-sensei had warned him against in his annoyingly useful lecture at Ichiraku's that morning, because the nins' eyes visibly widened and they suddenly leapt back several metres, watching him warily.

"Don't interfere, kid," the taller of the two hissed. His words came out with a slight echo, muffled by his mask.

Naruto heard Sakura shuffle backward. He knew it was her, having attuned himself to the sound of her footsteps and the rhythm of her movement. He half-expected her to join him by his side, ready to do combat, as she had so many times against Takara. But the space by his sides was unoccupied, and Naruto was alone. So, to compensate, he conjured a duo of clones that mimicked his stance.

"Forget it," he growled, and rushed forward with a yell.

His clones stabbed forward, temporarily halting the chain with their kunai, and he slashed his own across the nearest of his opponents. The man snapped his head back, throwing himself backward. The shuriken chain whipped up with frightening velocity, following the arc the nin's arm had taken. With a short cry of alarm, Naruto immediately backpedalled, but it was one of his clones who in the end saved him by yanking him back by the collar.

By the time he recovered and surveyed the situation, the nins were already mere blurs as they raced dizzily around him. The dull gleam of a blood-spattered chain flashed in the corner of Naruto's eye. The sapphire orbs widened in horror and he swore; this was exactly how that guy – Kakashi – had died. He hurriedly formed handseals, but was barely halfway to completion when he felt a sharp, stinging pain in his cheek. He could hear the grating of scraping metal followed by resounding thuds.

He spun around to see the two enemy ninja staring bewildered at a tree several yards away from them. Their chains were hammered to the trunk by several shuriken; they tugged furiously to no avail – a kunai implanted to its hilt against the metal and bark rendered their efforts ineffective.

Naruto snapped his head around again. His eyes narrowed when he saw Sasuke standing behind him, arms lowered to his sides after his initial throws. "Show off," he muttered under his breath.

Then the Uchiha's eyes widened, and Naruto suddenly did not want to know what had him in suspense.

"This sucks, brother," a voice rasped. It was followed by a metallic clinking. Naruto wheeled around to see one of their foes releasing the clasp on his arm, freeing himself from the binds, his partner mere seconds behind him. He curled a fist and rushed forward with blinding speed, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Naruto hurriedly shifted weight to his back leg and raised his arms to protect himself. The nin's blow crushed into his wrist weights, causing the metal to bite against his flesh. The other arm, clawed gauntlets extended, came flashing up, this time with the intention of chopping down the genin's exposed neck. Barely stopping to think, Naruto shifted his left hand so that it firmly gripped the wrist of his opponent's arm, preventing it from further movement. Then he lowered his head and rammed his shoulder against the Mist nin's chest. The chop passed over his head, the arm that had led it crossing over its wielder's opposite shoulder blade. Naruto held it in place with his other hand.

The nin loomed close to his face, his own masked complexion betraying no hints to pain even though Naruto was forcing forcefully twisting his arms in a way that could not be comfortable. "You first," he spat. "Then the old geezer – if my brother doesn't get to him by then."

For a blinding moment, there was a painful burning just above his right ankle. Naruto gasped softly and glanced down. A hidden blade had extended from the nin's boots, shoving itself deep into his flesh. His mouth hung open as he watched his opponent stamp his other foot, and another razor emerged from the knee-pad.

"Next life, kid, stick to _playing _'ninja'… at least it won't get you killed."

_Damn it._ Braced his good leg against the ground. Leaned back. Couldn't break free._ DAMN IT!_ Snapped head back up. No good. He'd just lose half his stomach. _Curse it… why isn't anyone coming? _Could feel it sinking into his flesh, severing his arteries and spilling blood… no wait. Not yet. Still alive. For now. _Sensei? Kiba? S-Sakura? Kurenai-sensei?!_

And in the distance, beyond his paralysing fear, was Sasuke. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Bewildered, Naruto turned his head, staring, as the sun fell from the sky. His opponent cursed and frantically tried to free himself while trying to twist his dislocated arms back into their sockets at the same time. But there was no escape. None at all.

"Suiton: Suijinheki!"

And then a roaring wall of water was rising in front of his eyes. Steam erupted around him, settling into a silent chill as the water cascaded down on the combatants. By the time he felt the wet drops sliding down his neck, dipping below the collar of his drenched jacket and trickling down his spine, Naruto was on the ground, a good several yards away from the misted scene, propped against Kurenai's knee and sputtering.

"That was out of line, Naruto," his mentor said disapproving, though the grip she maintained on his shoulder was no more punishing than Gama-chan was bursting with wealth.

"Like Sasuke-teme… wasn't out of line!" Naruto gasped, swallowing a large lungful of air. He turned so that he could see Kurenai and the concern etched on her face. "He could have killed me!"

"The fire wouldn't have killed you," she said tightly. "You would have gotten away with second degree burns."

"As if that's not bad enough!"

Kurenai's lips pulled taut. "I'll talk to Kakashi about this later," she said quietly. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but shut up when he saw that the nin who had threatened his life was now slumped against the same tree as his chains – pinned in a similar fashion too. A kunai was rammed up to its hilt in his throat. It had only just occurred to him that Kurenai-sensei was more deadly than her demeanour implied.

Instead, he asked, "Where's Kiba?" Naruto was still disappointed that his teammate had not been there to aid him. Sakura, perhaps he could understand but Kiba… Naruto thought he could count on the other boy with guarding his life. He knew he would defend Kiba's without hesitation.

A slight smile flitted across Kurenai's features. She gently grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "I think he is rather busy," she said lightly.

Indeed he was. "What were you _thinking,_ Uchiha? I'll understand if you're hungry and want roasted fish for lunch – but why the hell would you want roasted Naruto?! He tastes disgusting! Why would you want roasted Naruto, huh? Huh, huh, huh, huh, HUH?!"

Naruto unsuccessfully tried to disguise his laughter and failed miserably. "Who says I taste disgusting?" he yelled, grinning widely. He clutched his splitting side and doubled over.

But had his eyes been open and clear of tears of humour, he would have seen the dark relief on his teammate's unsmiling face.

* * *

Yuuhi Kurenai was not having a good day. She was furious, of course; furious that Naruto had acted without thinking, enraged that he'd almost gotten himself killed in their first C-rank, and royally pissed that Kakashi had remained squatting in one of the trees and watched while one of his students attempted to incinerate hers.

Catching sight of the Mist ninja who Naruto had engaged, she threw the first kunai with _way _more force than necessary, crushing his windpipe with ease. She was disappointed when she saw that the Aburame boy had taken care of the second nin, draining him of his chakra and consciousness.

Really, a woman had to vent sometimes.

It did not help her flaming temper that Hinata practically fainted at the sight of Kakashi dropping down from his perch.

She tried extremely hard not to wallop the Copy Ninja as she strode stiffly past him. Sakura had not moved at all and was left to stare at the blood on her hands. She looked up at Kurenai's footsteps. The jounin placed a hand on her protégé's shoulder, and the blood on Sakura's clothing faded out of sight.

"Genjutsu," Kurenai explained in answer her student's shock. "Kakashi cast it to make his apparent death more believable."

Sakura nodded dumbly, but Kurenai still noticed that she scrubbed at her face for a full minute after that.

Kakashi caught her eye and even if the searing contact only lasted a fraction of a second, he acknowledged it with a slight nod as if to say that, yes, he knew to expect a conversation later, and that, yes, he also knew that he'd be in a hell of a lot trouble if he did not have an excusable explanation when 'later' came.

Tazuna stared wide-eyed at the jounin he had paid to hire. "You were alive," he said incredulously. "And you let the _kids_ do the fighting?!"

The Copy Ninja gave a frightening smile. "I could have taken care of them in an instant if I want to."

"Then why didn't you?"

"There was something I wanted to find out… Tazuna-san, those Mist ninja were after _you_."

Kurenai turned away there. She walked Sakura to where Naruto sat on the ground, mesmerised by the blood that spilled from his leg. "We'll start setting up camp," she said to Kakashi. "We won't go far. Come, Kiba."

"Ah, you don't need to leave, Kurenai," her colleague said, his tone shifting immediately. "After all, you are considered to be taking a part in this mission; your team has the right to know the details as well."

Sakura and Kiba looked questioningly at her but remained wisely silent and watched as she helped Naruto to his feet, briefly bending down to check his wound. "It's fine," she said, not looking up as she peeled back Naruto's bloodied trouser leg and examined the deep laceration. "This is your mission, Kakashi. I trust you to handle it." She straightened and glanced back. "Besides," she said, and it was not an illusion that the temperature dropped several degrees. "My student needs medical treatment."

It was the first time that Yuuhi Kurenai had been able to stare down Hatake Kakashi's single-eyed judgments – and emerge victorious.

"I see," he murmured. "My team will prepare dinner then." He smiled once more and turned back to Tazuna. "Now, Tazuna-san, I believe there is some explaining for you to do…"

* * *

The flames danced and reflected in Naruto's eyes as he hummed softly to himself. He was watching the small pot suspended over the campfire, on vigilant alert for any signs of the boiling he was waiting for. As he waited, he peeled back the lids of the containers and wiped down the chopsticks.

"Hey kid."

"Eh?" He turned his head. It was Tazuna. "Oh hey."

The bridge-builder smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

"Nah. Here… sit."

"Thanks." Tazuna lowered himself and let out a heavy sigh as he settled. Naruto faintly heard his kneecap pop hollowly with age, reminding him of another old man he knew. Tazuna grunted. "How's your leg?"

Naruto frowned in confusion. Then he remembered. "That? It's fine. I can still walk."

Kurenai-sensei had made a point of bandaging the wound in front of his teammates. It had taken him a while to realise that it would be a bit suspicious if such an injury was left to heal by itself. So he had winced and hissed and grabbed for something when Kurenai rubbed cleansing fluid against the gash and bandaged it. Akamaru had valiantly chosen to sit in Naruto's lap, licking the boy's face whenever he sensed it was right. Kiba would not stop talking throughout the whole process, filling in for the silence that Sakura exuded. She watched with an unreadable expression on her face, but said nothing.

"You're not too bad, kid. Really."

Naruto looked up. He wasn't really in the mood, but he grinned anyway. "Of course. I'm gonna be Hokage one day, you know. Just you watch, I'll get stronger and I'll get there."

It took him a while to notice that Tazuna was staring strangely at him. "What?" he blinked.

The man turned away and for a moment, Naruto thought he saw the brief watery signs of a tear refracting the campfire's light. "In Wave," Tazuna began, shrugging apologetically, "protectors like the Hokage don't really exist."

"Nani?"

"We don't have any heroes."

Naruto frowned."What do you mean, ojii-san?"

Tazuna looked at him a long while before turning away once again. "We're poor," he replied cryptically.

"That's got nothing to do with heroes."

"You have no idea how related those two are," Tazuna chuckled. "You weren't there when I told that man Kakashi, were you?"

"No. What'd you tell him?" Naruto paused and thought back. "Oh yeah. Why were those Mist nins attacking you anyway?" He glanced briefly at the remaining of the said assailants, lost in Kurenai's genjutsu and bound to a tree by wires. He promptly averted his attention before he could be reminded of his close call to death.

His expression darkening, Tazuna sighed. "I guess I should tell you then… I did almost get you killed."

_You weren't the only one_, Naruto thought darkly, narrowing his eyes.

"Wait. Would I be breaking any rules if I told you some stuff? Even though you're not part of the mission?"

"I dunno. Wait a minute…" Naruto turned to ask Kurenai-sensei, but before he could open his mouth, she caught his eye and gave him a subtle nod. It seemed that she had been paying less attention to their captive than he thought. "Sensei says it's alright."

"Super. So there's this rich man…"

By then end of Tazuna's short tale, Naruto's mouth was hanging wide open. "So this… Gatou guy," he said slowly, his face twisting as he tried to recall the details. "He's trying to kill you just because you're trying to build a bridge and fix up your country?"

"Basically, yes."

"That's bullshit!"

Tazuna laughed, his deep voice resounding in the dark night. "That's right," he agreed, nodding. He took off his glasses and started wiping them on the towel that hung from his neck. "Our country needs that bridge," he said, his tone serious. "It's our only hope of breaking free. Otherwise we'll get run down to the ground one day and then we're doomed."

Naruto poked moodily at the flames with a long stick. He tried to imagine the Leaf Village being abused in such a way and found that he could barely tolerate it. It was easier to relate to Tazuna after that. "This is exactly why I want to be Hokage," he said finally. "I want to protect my home and the people who share it with me." He could not resist thrusting his chest out. "I'll help you beat this Gatou person."

He was too occupied to notice Kurenai's head snap around at a terrifying speed.

But Tazuna did. The bridge-builder raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have your own mission?"

Naruto winced. "Oh yeah. I do." He looked sheepishly toward Kurenai to find that she was casting another genjutsu over the stirring Mist nin. He leaned closer to Tazuna and whispered behind his hand, "But maybe I can get Kurenai-sensei to let us go too."

Tazuna blinked. Then he shook his head. "Don't bother. It's fine. Really, it is." He leaned back on his arms and tilted his head up to survey the stars that were scattered across the skyline. "I'll probably end up in some prison in your village and then get sent back to Wave."

"What? Why?"

"I lied about the mission rank. It's against the law in your country. Your friends might be thinking about taking me back and ending the mission here."

As if on cue, Team Seven entered the clearing, returning from their hunt for wildlife. Sasuke had something white and bloody speared on the end of a long stick. Suddenly perking up, Sakura jumped up to meet them. Naruto caught Sasuke's eye as his teammate hounded him and the two of them shared an intense stare.

"Hey kid, your water's boiling," Tazuna reminded. Reaching over, he unhooked the small metal container with calloused hands. When Naruto hastened to help, the man merely chuckled. "I've been burning my hands ten times a day before you were old enough to think, kiddo. Just tell me where you want this. Least I can do for the future Hokage."

Naruto grinned and guided Tazuna to the two ramen cups that he had prepared earlier on. He thanked the bridge-builder and closed the lids so that the noodles could cook. As Shino and Hinata hunched over the campfire to prepare their hunted meal, Naruto took his ramen around to the other side to where Sakura stood outside her shared tent with their sensei.

"Hey Sakura-chan," he grinned. "I brought spare so I thought you might want some." His smile widened as he held a steaming cup and a set of chopsticks out to her.

For almost a minute, Sakura regarded the offered meal with no expression. Naruto's grin started to falter as he watched her. It rekindled when her hand reached out for it. And it cooled dead when she paused, let her hand drop and turned her head to one side.

"Why would I want this when Sasuke-kun caught us a rabbit?" she said quietly.

Naruto's head toward Sasuke, he felt like dumping the remnants of the boiled water on his frustratingly passive face. Then he saw Sakura's disconcerted expression as she brushed past him, and had the urge to yell at her. _Save it,_ he told himself

Kiba shot to his feet and was standing by his crestfallen friend in moments, not realising that he was too late to mend the chasm that had split between his teammates. "Hey, I'll have it," he said hastily, tugging the offered ramen cup from Naruto's hand. It was already starting to cool. "It's beef, right?" he asked, seeing Naruto's hurt.

Instead of replying, the blonde shoved his remaining ramen into Kiba's hand, turned and marched toward Sasuke. The Uchiha noticed and got up, Sakura promptly following. Her eyes flickered uncertainly between her teammate and her crush.

Kiba tried to slip between them, but the steaming ramen in his hands was more than an effective shackle. "Naruto!" he called, starting forward even as Kurenai rose to her feet in caution. "Akamaru, quick-"

But Naruto walked right past Sasuke. Under the confusion of all those present, he approached Hatake Kakashi.

The Copy Ninja looked up from his little orange book, silently took in his visitor and smiled. "Good evening. Uzumaki, right?"

Naruto did not seem to realise how awfully disrespectful to stand over a senior. He remained firmly planted on the spot as Sakura hissed at him. That or he didn't hear her. "That's right. Uzumaki Naruto."

Kakashi smiled again. "Aha. I remember now. You're" – even though she knew Kakashi was not an idiot or troublemaker, Kurenai stiffened in anticipation – "the one my student always thinks about."

Although he did not specify, Hinata felt like sinking into the ground without the aid of a Doton.

If Naruto was confused, he did well to conceal it. "We're ninja," he stated. "We help people."

"If we can," Kakashi agreed.

"Help Tazuna and his country. They need it." He bowed shortly and made toward his tent, ignoring the wide-eyed stare the bridge-builder gave him, along with those from his team. However, before he stepped into the parted folds of the makeshift shelter, Naruto paused and turned back. But an added "Please" was all that answered the anticipation before he disappeared inside and left silence in his wake.

The ramen was stone cold, but Kiba didn't feel like reheating it.

* * *

The ambush from the Mist-nins had drained the inexperienced genins, so it was only natural that no one at camp noticed when two jounins took their leave

"Naruto is very interesting," Hatake Kakashi said. His companion's cool stare soon had him reiterating his words. "He's always had some sort of rivalry with Sasuke."

Kurenai crossed her arms. "This doesn't quite explain your student's actions this afternoon."

"Ah. Yes… that. I forgot about that." Kakashi smiled innocently with his one eye. Then, almost as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. "I don't suppose you saw the amount of chakra that emanated from Naruto's body. Red chakra."

Kurenai paused, her brow pulling together. Red chakra was not a good thing. If Yuuhi Kurenai believed in karma, such force would definitely file under Extremely Bad Karma. But she didn't have much of a feel for psychological fill-ins for coincidental occurrences, which was why she could face Naruto without fearing the beast he held within him.

She wasn't sure if Kakashi shared her sentiment.

"No," she admitted finally. "I didn't. What was it like?"

"It was shortly after his first kage bunshin attempt," Kakashi answered. "But even as he yelled the name of the jutsu, his voice had already started to change… it was like there was a deeper layer to it."

Kurenai found herself smiling faintly. "I really do have to teach him to perform silent jutsus." She noticed her companion's stare and although she saw little of his face, she could tell he was giving her a strange look. "Sorry. Please continue."

The Copy Ninja waved his hand. "No need to apologise. I was just… interested that your relationship with Naruto would have developed so evenly, considering what his prisoner did to your genin team."

Although she could detect the genuine curiosity in his voice, Kurenai still stiffened. "Naruto is not the Nine-Tailed Fox," she said calmly. "I won't hold it against him for something he did not do. However… I find it hard to believe that you would think this of him, Kakashi. Considering your sensei's relationship to the boy."

She knew it was quite a hard rebuke, yet it was difficult to resist the smug smile when the other jounin momentarily froze. Now they were even.

Kakashi recovered swiftly. "I would justify your opinion, but it seems that this conversation has moved further than it needs to," he said lightly.

"Indeed," the genjutsu mistress agreed, nodding. "We were up to the red chakra."

"Yes, we were. As I was saying, Naruto appeared to have changed. I had a good view of the reactions. I doubt Haruno Sakura noticed much – she was standing too close, and the fear she might have felt at the moment would have mistakenly accounted the Mist nins' presence for the killer intent she would have felt. I did not see the Inuzuka very well."

Kurenai nodded and made a mental note to keep an eye on Kiba. "Thank you for telling me this."

Kakashi smiled again. "Sasuke got a very good look at the chakra. I'm not trying to defend him, but I would say that Sasuke probably only acted the way he did because, one, he wanted to eliminate the enemy, and two, he was frightened by Naruto's behaviour."

"He was concerned for a teammate's safety," Kurenai said firmly. "Naruto meant no harm to his allies."

"I'm not saying he did," Kakashi said gently. He gazed at her. "You and I have both experienced the Fox's force. For a genin to have a front row seat to this same raw power, if even a small fraction of it, would be enough reason for him to violently alter his impressions of Naruto."

For a while, Kurenai was silent. She let her thoughts gather, as she always did when making decisions. True to his word, she had been subjected to the demon's intense killer intent. She had spent the majority of the following days as a sobbing wreck and turning out the contents of her stomach. Takara had retreated from becoming a shinobi because of it. Kurenai did not want to go through it ever again.

"I will talk to Naruto about this," she said at last.

Kakashi nodded. "Then there's no problem. I do have to apologise on behalf of Sasuke's irrational thinking. He did, after all, have the intention to hurt Naruto."

"It can be overlooked," Kurenai assured. The other ninja nodded his acknowledgement. They both glanced up at the sky. Midnight had passed into the next day. "How long will it take ANBU to arrive?"

"If Pakkun made it back without any interruptions, they should be arriving before sunrise." Kakashi slipped his hands into his pockets. "By morning, the missing-nin will be gone… and so will my team."

Kurenai looked sharply at him. "You don't need to leave," she said.

He shook his head. "We already saw that Naruto and Sasuke should not be allowed to remain in each other's company for long and there is still some distance left before we reach the junction. I also noticed that your female student seems to be an obvious member of Sasuke's little group of admirers." Kakashi smiled, yet this one was not as innocent as his previous ones.

Kurenai had the sudden urge to borrow Asuma's cigarette lighter and set fire to Kakashi's little orange books. "Sakura is quite taken by Sasuke," she sighed. "I hope it will pass soon. Kami knows what I will do if it doesn't."

"I hope you don't have to find out," Kakashi said sincerely.

"Me too. So… what will you do about Tazuna?"

"Hmm. I thought about this. He lied about the mission details because he didn't have enough money to apply for a higher rank. His country appears to be in a bit of a tight spot."

"If you don't mind me asking, will you continue the mission or escort him back to Konoha?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Naruto made his opinion quite apparent."

_Ah yes… thank you, Naruto. _"He mistakes his instincts for his voice. You don't have to listen to him in any way."

"I don't. But he's right," Kakashi said. "It can be considered a generosity. And also because I want Hinata to see this mission to the end. It is her first and she is still blaming herself for freezing up during the encounter. I want her to know that it is the way of the shinobi and that the mission must go on."

A slight tinge of unknown emotion entered Kurenai's system. She recalled being uncertain about Hinata's team, having been frustrated with Sasuke's and Shino's detached socialism. But she had forgotten about Kakashi. He was a little more focused than he let on, and Kurenai could only hope that his guidance could reveal more of Hinata's true self.

"It's getting… early," Kakashi noted. "We should both get a few hours of sleep."

"Yes. We should." They had taken two different paths to the meeting point even though they had started from the same camp, and they left by different routes. Back turned, Kurenai added, "Kakashi. Good luck with your mission."

He no longer physically stood behind her, but his voice carried clear. "Thanks. For some reason, I think I'm going to need it."

* * *

Kiba did not understand what the big deal was.

"They can't have gone far, we can still catch up. Tazuna was attacked hours after we left the village and that just means that they need extra protection. Can't we go with them, Kurenai-sensei? No? Why not?!"

"Not even a goodbye… I agree with Naruto, sensei. Team Seven would need some help."

"They've got to free a whole country. They can't do it by themselves!"

No, Kiba didn't understand what his teammates were so upset about.

If anything, he was glad that Team Seven was gone. With Sasuke temporarily out of their lives, they could finally get the team dynamics back into balance. That was not to say that Kiba had anything against the Uchiha's teammates, even though he felt that he should have given more to Shino than wordlessly curious stares, and Hinata more than a bit of Naruto's ramen.

Kurenai wordlessly snapped the last retractable joint of her tent and folded the cloth around it. The metallic clink somehow made her students stand really, really straight. "A shinobi must complete their mission," she told them. "They can't be distracted by anything – even the slightest lapse in concentration can mean failure. Some missions hold life and death situations and you can't afford to put it aside for something else."

Naruto and Sakura were silent. Even though he had not protested, Kiba had the feeling that their sensei was addressing him as well, so he remained equally quiet.

"Our first priority is to get to Otafuku Gai," Kurenai continued. She slipped her pack over one shoulder. "We didn't make nearly as much progress as we should have yesterday and we are expected back in the village in a week. I'm sure that Kakashi handle his own mission. Naruto, I'm sure that Tazuna and his country will be alright. And Sakura, I doubt you would make much use of any of your time if you were anywhere near Sasuke. So both of you, just deal with it." Kurenai patted their shoulders once and gently ruffled Kiba's hair as she passed them and located the track that would lead them to Otafuku Gai.

"Yeah, just deal with it," Kiba echoed. Akamaru barked. "Come on, guys."

"This is your fault," Sakura hissed at Naruto. She needed to vent her disappointment on something, and if he retaliated with protest, it would be the perfect excuse to unleash her fury. But Naruto only shrugged, shouldered his pack and followed Kurenai. Sakura blinked after him. Then she shook her head and hurried after her team.

"Sensei," Naruto said quietly.

Kurenai glanced down at him. "Yes?"

"In life… do we always have to choose?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like… like Team Seven's mission to Wave and our one to Otafuku Gai."

"Yes. Throughout life, you will have many difficult decisions to make," Kurenai confirmed. "When the time comes, you will have to decide which is more important. Consider yourself lucky if you don't have to make some painful decisions."

"Hai." Naruto walked silently alongside her for a moment, and then called for her attention again. "When we choose, do we have to lose whatever we don't choose?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "You're asking a lot of strange questions today."

He shrugged. "Well, you're answering."

"I always will, Naruto, remember that. And the answer you are looking for will, in most cases, be yes."

He nodded. "That's all I needed to know."

* * *

Sakura felt in dire need to hug something.

There was a shuffling sound in the darkness. "Sakura," Kurenai said softly. "I thought you would be asleep by now. Are you feeling sick?"

Yes, she felt very sick.

"What did I do wrong, Sensei?" she whispered.

Kurenai sighed. "Maybe I've been feeding you too many answers. I have prepared you too well. You have to realise this on your own, Sakura, because that is the only way that it will matter."

"But-"

"If you can't see it for yourself, any answer I give you will be meaningless."

Sakura fell silent. She tugged the corners of her sleeping bag tighter around her shoulders and rolled over so that she had her back to Kurenai. Then she closed her eyes and tried to remember.

It had happened after dinner, during the hour of leisure time Kurenai had allowed them before they turned in for the night.

Sakura was royally upset. Team Seven had just upped and gone without warning. Sasuke hadn't even said goodbye, hadn't even left a note… didn't he care? No, he probably didn't. Come to think of it, he'd never called her by name before – did he even remember it? Remember her?

Don't even go there. She didn't want to think about it.

She got up and walked around the campfire. "Naruto," she said and he glanced briefly at her. "I'm going to collect more firewood. Do you want to come with me?"

He shook his head. Kiba curiously raised his and turned it toward them.

Sakura scowled. "I need you to help me carry them back." He didn't move, not even when she tapped her foot, which was a sure sign that she was ready to hit him. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. Let's make it a date, a romantic late night stroll through the woods. It's what you want, right?"

He stood up.

"Honestly, Naruto, is this the only way you ever-"

"You can't pretend that nothing happened," Naruto said quietly.

"What?"

He raised his head to regard her solemnly. "The whole thing. I'm done, Sakura. I'm done with waiting for you."

Sakura stared incredulously at him, but the prankster face of Uzumaki Naruto appeared to have vanished. "Naruto, who're you kidding?" she laughed nervously and looked behind her for support. But Kiba and Kurenai were suddenly standing as far away from them as possibly, deep in an irrelevant discussion about bloodlines and family heritage. Sakura frowned and turned back to Naruto. "No, seriously, Naruto, what are you playing at now? The cool guy? It doesn't fit you."

He shook his head. "I'm sick of being second best. I'm not the puppet you pick up after your Prince Charming runs off."

She felt it was serious this time. "Naruto, I…"

"You keep forgetting that I have feelings too. I'm not a toy, not something that you can just toss aside when you don't need and come back for to cheer you up. I liked you because I thought you were beautiful and kind. You're still beautiful, but you're not kind. Maybe I was wrong to begin with and you never were."

"I-I don't know what… look, Naruto. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He looked bitterly at her. "You didn't, did you?" he asked sarcastically. "I saw you choosing yesterday. You had a choice, and even though it was just ramen and a rabbit, you made your decision when you picked the rabbit. You wanted Sasuke, not me. You want a guy who's obsessed with his inflated ego. You want a guy who doesn't care about you. Fine with me. I don't care. I used to; I cared about you, Sakura. When we were attacked, I almost died because I wanted to protect you. Even your _Sasuke-kun _attacked me – I could have died. Did you see that?"

Sakura's hands fluttered helplessly by her side. "He wouldn't have _killed_ you," she said half-heartedly.

Naruto looked at her. His face was smooth and expressionless, but his eyes betrayed the fiercest amount of hurt Sakura had ever seen. "You're the worst, Sakura," he whispered.

There had never been a time when Sakura had wanted so badly to cry – and found that no tears would come out. She was aware that her mouth was hanging open in shock. Vaguely, she heard Kurenai's and Kiba's voices in the background, keeping their distance from the dispute.

Naruto turned away. "I'll get the firewood," he muttered. "You stay here; it's not safe for you at night."

Sakura couldn't bring herself to call him back as he walked on and faded into the darkness, his back shrinking. When she lost sight of his bright hair, it was as if the lights had flickered off and all the warmth had been drained from the surface of the earth.

She remembered promising that she would make it up to him. She had thought that he would willingly accept her back and forgive her with that stupid grin of his. But he didn't. She had left it too late, taken away too much to give back.

The wind howled outside and Sakura dug deeper into her sleeping bag. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and, because she had nothing else to hold, wrapped her arms around herself. She tried to shut out the rest of the world.

Outside, Naruto was filling in watch duty after Kurenai, sitting next to the campfire and the pile of firewood he had gathered.


	7. Those That Care

**Chapter 7 – Those That Care**

The lights of Otafuku Gai's nightlife came into view shortly after Akamaru's excited bark. For the three genins, who had spent the majority of the past two days among nature's reserves, the bright lights and bustling activity almost came as a shock. Kiba's head turned in a multitude of directions, his grin widening as the seconds ticked by. Naruto shared his enthusiasm for the first few minutes, and then retreated to stand silently by Kurenai's side as the jounin dragged her team through the crowds to a hotel.

Kurenai booked them two rooms, deciding to follow their previous sleeping arrangement. She leaned against the counter and idly regarded her students as the receptionist filled in the forms. Though not to say that they were worse for wear, the children did look a little… unattended to. Naruto seemed to be standing closer to her than usual, on the other side of Kiba. He caught her eye and gave her a tired grin when she raised an eyebrow.

"How many nights do you plan to stay?" the lady behind the counter asked politely, causing Kurenai to turn her attention away from her charge.

"Two at the most," she replied. If they stayed any longer, they would exceed the week-long limit the Hokage had set for them. She trusted their client to have last-minute business to attend to, and the extra days accounted for that.

"I should let you know that you will not receive a refund if you leave our hospitality earlier than that."

Kurenai handed over a wad of ryou notes. "I am aware of that, thank you." With any luck, the cost of food and board would be reimbursed when they returned to Konoha.

"Here's your change." The receptionist bowed. "Have a nice stay."

Kurenai tipped the excess ryou into Kiba's hand. "Go get something to eat. I don't think there will be meals tonight."

Kiba closed a fist around the money and grinned. "Hai. Do you want anything, Sensei?"

"Get me takeout. Don't stay out too long."

He snapped her a crisp salute and grabbed his teammates by the elbows. "Come on, guys! We're going exploring!" Barely given a chance to protest, Naruto and Sakura were dragged off.

"Kiba!" Sakura scolded faintly. "Slow down!"

"Why? It's gonna be fun! Hey! Look, Naruto – ramen!"

Kurenai silently thanked her student as she trudged wearily up the hotel's staircase. She understood that Kiba wanted to cheer up his friends, and although she was not certain that he would succeed, she appreciated his efforts and wished him luck.

It had been a long day. The team had made steady progress, but the atmosphere had been gloomy and silent. Between Sakura's clouded expression and Naruto's unspoken emotions, the silence had become stifling, and even Kiba had given up on lightening the mood. The Inuzuka had regained a little of his enthusiasm, possibly believing that a change of scenery would somehow make a difference.

Kurenai let herself into her hotel room and dropped her pack by the door. A kunoichi through and through, she conducted a quick search, checking for bugs or any other sort of device to be cautious of. Finding the room clean, she subjected the boys' room to a similar criticism and then returned to her own, satisfied.

Now she could relax. Rolling back her shoulders and grimacing when small cracks issued from her bones, Kurenai slid open the window and leaned out. She knew from experience that the town was livelier at night than in the day, and such was apparent by the packed streets. A light breeze brushed her hair against her cheek and she turned her head, her gaze tracking an orange jumpsuit among the crowd. Kurenai smiled faintly.

Now, if the boys could stay away from _that_ street…

* * *

Kiba reached over the counter and took the popsicles. "Thanks!" he grinned. He paid the vendor, and then held one of the sticks out to Naruto. "Here, you can share with Sakura."

Naruto stared. Then he thrust it toward Sakura without looking at her. "Here," he muttered.

She shook her head. "You have it," she insisted.

"I'm not hungry."

"Nor am I."

Akamaru whimpered anxiously. "What's wrong with you two?" Kiba asked. "It's just a popsicle," he added jokingly. His smile slipped. It wasn't working. No matter what he did, how hard he tried, they wouldn't crack a smile. Not for him. Not for each other.

Decisively, Naruto shoved the popsicle into Kiba's other hand and turned away. "I'll go get Kurenai-sensei's takeout," he said quietly. "Don't wait for me." Then, before Kiba could call him back, he pushed his way into the crush of bodies and was gone.

Sakura was staring down at the ground, hands clenched into fists, when Kiba turned back to her. She bit her lip with slightly more force than necessary, and the Inuzuka's eyes widened when the faint whiff of blood mingled with the other scents wafting around them. Flipping her hair over one shoulder, Sakura said shortly, "I'm going back to the hotel. I need a shower."

"No, Sakura, wait – Sakura!" But she was gone, and Kiba was left alone. He stared down at the popsicles in his hand, melting. Sighing, he sat down on a nearby bench and gave one to Akamaru.

He had thought that things would start looking up now that Sasuke was gone. Instead, everything was running downhill. Kiba had no idea that Naruto would react as violently as he had, but Sakura had had it coming for a while. The Inuzuka thought that they would have reconciled by the next morning, but they didn't, and the friendship they had so painstakingly constructed was deteriorating.

"What're we going to do, Akamaru?" he asked softly, running his fingers through his companion's fur.

Team Eight was falling apart.

* * *

… _with the intention to inflict bodily harm… _Kurenai's pen paused and she frowned down at the scroll, wondering how to phrase her next point without sounding too critical. She tapped a finger against the desk, drumming out a beat.

There was a knock on the door. "Kurenai-sensei," Naruto called, his voice muffled by the thick wood.

Glancing briefly at the darkened sky, Kurenai laid down her pen and crossed the room to open the door. She looked down at her blonde student, blinked, and then stuck her head out into the corridor. Empty. "Naruto, where are Kiba and Sakura?"

He shuffled uncomfortably, the plastic bag that held Kurenai's meal rustling against the fabric of his trousers as his hand lowered. "I… left them at the food stand," he said finally on an awkward tone.

Kurenai scrutinized him. She stood back. "Come in," she said quietly.

"Sensei, I…"

"Just come inside."

Obediently cowering under his mentor's steady gaze, Naruto slumped into the room and closed the door behind him as Kurenai sat at the desk. He stood hesitantly behind her for a moment, and when she continued to write, he sat down on the edge of one of the beds. She paid no attention to his presence for the better part of five minutes.

"Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him. "What are you writing?"

Kurenai glanced up briefly. "I'm writing a report," she answered.

"For the mission?"

"No. I'm addressing Sasuke's actions towards you the day before. The Hokage would want to know about this."

Naruto's eyes widened. "I thought you forgot about that," he mumbled.

She stopped. "Why would you think that?"

He fidgeted uncomfortably. "That's what the Academy instructors did," he whispered. "The other kids never got in trouble. It was always me."

The pen snapped in half, spilling ink over Kurenai's hand. Naruto winced at the sharp crack and reached into the takeout bag, handing the jounin a paper towel. Kurenai murmured her thanks and cleaned her hands, stone-faced.

"Kakashi told me that he saw red chakra surrounding you that day," she said. Naruto was silent. "You should take care not to lose control like that again. Your prisoner won't be dormant for long if you rouse it."

"I couldn't help it," he mumbled. "I didn't even notice."

"You're not in trouble. Just be mindful from now on, alright?"

"Hai."

Kurenai patted his shoulder. "Tell me about your relationship with Sasuke."

After a moment of hesitation, Naruto did as he was told. Her eyes narrowed minimally when he mentioned the occasional disputes, but she could not resist a smile when he told her of what had happened on the day of the team assignments.

"All the girls in the class like him." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just because he's 'cool' and 'cute' and grunts like a gorilla."

"What do you think about his treatment toward you?"

At this, Naruto had to stop and think. "He sort of treats me just like everyone else," he shrugged. "He doesn't talk much, but he's a bas… he's mean when he does. But he's not very nice anyway. I haven't forgotten that he was about to roast me."

Kurenai reached for the bag of takeout and briefly inspected its contents. It had a basic composition, a clump of fairly passably cooked rice topped off by some vegetables and a few slices of yakitori. She closed the lid firmly and set it aside for later, turning back to her student. "Do you hate him for what he did?" she asked softly, watching carefully for Naruto's reaction.

She needn't have contributed as much concentration as she had. Naruto displayed his emotions rather blandly, and Kurenai had a front row seat to the contorting of his face as he struggled to arrange it in a correct display of opinion. The result was almost comical.

"Well… he'd be less of a pain if he _tried _to be nice," Naruto offered, giving up entirely on his misleading facial appearance. He regarded his mentor curiously. "Why are you asking me this anyway, Kurenai-sensei?"

"To understand. It isn't wise to make enemies out of your allies, Naruto. Your disagreements with Sasuke will eventually have to be sorted out. The two of you may even have to work together in the future."

His distasteful expression told Kurenai what her student thought of that. She cracked a smile.

Naruto spoke after a long moment. "I'm trying but I just can't forgive him, Sensei. I get that he wanted to take out the enemy, but he saw that I'd get caught up in the blast and he still attacked. Just because I'm not his teammate… it's like he doesn't care."

Kurenai grimaced. She had been thinking about that as well. "It's true that a ninja should have enough self-control to keep himself from injuring a comrade, even in the face of fear. Of course, there are situations where there will be sacrifices. Kakashi told me that it is possible that Sasuke was unnerved by the killer intent you had released and as much as I have to agree that it is likely, I'm bothered that a newly-graduated genin like Sasuke had the motivation to aim a levelled fire jutsu at a classmate even if said classmate had been pinning down an enemy."

"That's kind of scary," Naruto murmured. In some ways, he admired Sasuke for being able to put the mission first, but it also chilled him to the bone. He was wary of anyone who could attack their ally for any reason.

"You told me before," Kurenai said, looking at him, "that you were alone for most of your childhood."

Naruto nodded. "Old Man Hokage wouldn't tell me who my parents were."

Kurenai's eyes flickered. "Imagine having a family."

Though confused, he did that fairly easily, having conjured similar fantasies for years.

"Now… imagine coming home one day to find your family dead and your parents killed at the hands of your brother."

It took effort to keep his mouth shut and not allow his jaw to drop open. "Wh-what?" Naruto stammered. "That's… that's like being alone all over again!" He stared at Kurenai, mouth opening and closing. Then his eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Sasuke was seven." Kurenai watched as Naruto's head dropped. His shoulders clenched but she was unable to see his face. Frowning, she began doubting her decision to reveal the Uchiha Massacre to him. "Naruto?" she asked, reaching for his shoulder.

He looked up at the contact. "I remember," he said quietly, his gaze softening. "He was in the hospital for a long time. Half the class went to see him. But I didn't. I thought he just tripped or something." Naruto chuckled weakly. "It's amazing how he hasn't gone crazy yet."

Kurenai's touch lingered for a moment longer, until she decided that he was stable. "This is why I am concerned. For someone like Sasuke, it would be very easy to sway the wrong way. I'm writing this report so that the Hokage will know what I suspect and keep a careful watch on Sasuke." She paused. "It will also make it easier to account for if this particular incident is brought up later on."

Naruto smiled faintly. "So it's about that thing after all."

"You're my student, Naruto. It is in my best interests to see that you don't get barbequed."

"Gee, thanks Sensei."

"You're welcome."

He hesitated. "There's something else you want to tell me, isn't there?"

Eyebrows inching up, Kurenai said, "You're getting good at this, aren't you?"

"I've had practice." He responded with a small chuckle.

She nodded and gathered her thoughts. "I want you to take more notice of Sasuke – I'm not ordering you to tail him everywhere, just pay more attention to his motives whenever you see him."

The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched. "Why me?" he asked. "I'm not the best undercover agent, you know."

"I've realised," Kurenai replied dryly. "But you understand how it feels better than anyone else. It will be easier for you to relate to Sasuke's experience… and also because I trust you."

Naruto's face reddened slightly and he rubbed the back of his head, turning away. "Ah… thanks," he murmured awkwardly.

Kurenai smiled and reached into the takeout bag for chopsticks. "Mind telling me how you are with Sakura?"

He stiffened. "There's not much to talk about."

"She was quite upset," Kurenai observed. She poked further into the bag, slightly disappointed when she found it to be devoid of other refreshments. No saké. _Takara is rubbing off on me_.

Naruto stared at his mentor's back as she started on her meal. "I didn't mean to say that much… I think I'll go and tell her I'm sorry." On a decisive note, he got up and headed toward the door.

"Naruto." Kurenai called him back. Fingers laid against the handle, he turned. "Do you think you said anything you shouldn't have?"

He thought back. "There was lots of stuff I hadn't meant to say."

"Do you consider any of them untruthful?"

Naruto did not know how to respond to that, so he opted to remain silent. He did, however, slump down on the bed closest to the door. His brain was packed with twisted decisions and doubts. He hadn't been thinking an awful lot that night; the events had slowly dwindled his tolerance to Sakura's actions and Naruto hadn't had the sense to censor his words when his spine had finally decided to develop. Which was why they were in this… mess.

It was giving him a headache.

Although she should not at all be humoured by the route their first C-rank mission had taken, Kurenai had little resistance against the slight amusement that seeped under her defences. Having seen the horrors of adolescence and survived, she had an accurate insight of what her students might be undergoing.

Arguments were common among teammates – Kurenai remembered getting into a handful of them herself. It was not a display of teamwork if a team did not encounter such twists along the way, but rather the opposite. It was the only way Naruto and Sakura would be able to realise what the other was thinking.

Regardless, Kurenai wanted to ensure that a similar disagreement would not come up in the future. Usually, in any situation, the one who stepped down and apologised was admitting to be at fault. This commonly resulted in a false sense of superiority for the other person. Naruto was too accustomed to playing that role.

"Ask yourself, do you think you did anything wrong?"

Did he? Painful as it was to remember, Naruto drew back the remnants of what he could recall of that night. Sakura's hurt expression flashed in his mind's eye, followed by her horrified grimace as she realised the unknown. She knew it, knew that he was right.

Kurenai took his silence to be what she expected. "Don't apologise for something that you didn't do. If you want Sakura to respect you for who you are and not who she wants you to be, she needs to understand where she went wrong. If she knows what is right, she will come to you and make the right decision."

Naruto's face twisted. "What if she doesn't?" he whispered.

Kurenai paused at this, "Then she probably doesn't deserve you."

He nodded and walked to the door. "Goodnight, Kurenai-sensei."

Kiba's snores weren't the only cause of his sleepless night.

* * *

Ysaumagi Shinji turned out to be a young man in his early twenties and polite to a fault. He was apologetic at first, explaining that he had not been expecting the hired help to respond as quickly as they had. As a result, his last-minute preparations were still in place and his store was slightly less than hospitable when Team Eight entered.

Observing the distaste the ninjas displayed at the half-rolled carpet and the general disarray of his meagre shop, the man quickly made and set out refreshments in hopes of making amends. "There were last minute changes," he said regretfully. "The cleaners I'd organized couldn't make it, so I'm just going through the cleanup myself – I don't want to leave the store in a messy state when I hand it back to the agents." Taking a look at the peeling paintwork and stained flooring, his audience could see what he meant. "I'm afraid we won't be able to leave for Konoha until tomorrow at the earliest."

Kurenai nodded her understanding. "Do you have much work remaining?"

Yasumagi rubbed the back of his head as he cast around. "Erm… new carpeting, paintwork and the general roof checks."

It had been three days since leaving Konoha and they were expected back in four days. With the goods and belongings they would have to transport, Kurenai estimated that it would take them a similar length of time to make the return trip. Although she appreciated Yasumagi's sense of responsibility, his renovations could not be permitted to take longer than a day.

"Our main duty is to escort you back to the village," Kurenai mused. "But I'm sure that your payment covers our services. We'll help you with your cleaning."

The genins of Team Eight shortly got to work. Their single-minded outlook surprised their mentor; the three were unusually focused. Kurenai saw no gain in questioning that dedication, so she let them be and set them to individual tasks.

"Kurenai-sensei," Kiba called down from the roof after half an hour of labour. "I think some tiles up here could do with some replacing."

Kurenai and Yasumagi joined him on the rooftop. The tailor, after a short inspection, announced that he was willing to pay for the tiles. Kurenai handed the money to Naruto and told him to purchase suitable material. He shrugged and dropped the carpet he and his clones had been peeling back, rotting side up, in favour of his new task.

Just as the blonde was leaving the store, Sakura left her station, wiped her hands on her trousers and approached him.

"I'll go for you," she said.

Naruto shook his head. "It's fine. I know the way."

"It's not that. You might buy the wrong… I need to get some paint anyway." Sakura gestured at the single can of paint in her reserves. She had barely completed a wall of the store.

"I'll get them for you. What colour?"

"It's okay. You've got more work than I do – I'll get it."

Kiba peered over the edge. "Why don't both of you go?" he suggested. They both tilted their head back to glower at him. The Inuzuka ignored them and gently nudged Kurenai. "They can go together, can't they, Sensei?"

The jounin glanced at Yasumagi and received a 'go ahead' gesture in return. "I don't see why not," she responded. "I believe there is enough money to pay for both needs."

The two genin stared at each other. Then, wordlessly, they set off.

A quick stop at the hardware effectively remedied the paint shortage. Sakura had a thorough knowledge of the particular shade she wanted, although Naruto was the one who would take credit for locating the general colour – he declined to tell her exactly howmany times a prank involving coloured dye had come up.

It was slightly unnerving for Naruto to have the smiling shopkeeper hovering over his shoulder, suggesting different varieties and weather-conditioned fluid. After selecting their purchase and paying the man, they set off, Naruto rather hastily; he was glad to leave the store and its overenthusiastic owner.

Sakura refused to let him carry the cans for her, insisting that he would have his hands full with terracotta later on. It didn't take long for Naruto to shrug and leave her to her wishes. He even walked ahead and prompted her to pick up the pace. However, two streets of clanging, soft hisses of pain and the occasional slips later, he doubled back to relieve Sakura of a portion of her cargo. Then, a sealed can of sloshing paint in each hand, he walked into their next stop without a word.

As they waited for their guide to locate the correct type and colour of the tiles, Sakura put down her load and attempted to strike up conversation with her companion.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

He appeared to be interested in the ceramics on display. It wasn't until a minute later that he replied. "No problem."

She shuffled. "I just wanted to-"

The shopkeeper called out something from the storeroom. Naruto yelled back, and then turned to Sakura. "How many do we need?"

"Ah… um, a dozen?"

"A dozen, please!"

That settled, Sakura redoubled her efforts. "Naruto, I-"

It didn't take long for her to realise that he was more captivated by the store's display stock than what she had to say.

This irritated her. Sakura was accustomed to having him at her beck and call. The unresponsive Naruto sorely tested her patience, which happened to be short on supply. "Are you listening?" she snapped finally.

He grunted. "What?"

"About that time… I'm sorry."

For a moment, he just stared at her. When his eyes raked over hers, he shook his head and turned away. "You don't mean it," he muttered.

Sakura's jaw dropped. She had tried being nice to him all day, and when she finally summoned the courage to apologise to the idiot, he just discarded it like trash. The nerve! Since when did _Naruto_ refuse her kindness? She felt like stamping her feet and whining of unfairness, regardless of how much it would make her seem like a spoiled child. The rejection ran deeper than her discarded pride…

It hurt. Sakura hated the simple words for cutting her, despised Naruto for throwing away her efforts at reconciliation.

"You're right," she said, disgusted, "I don't."

Naruto didn't look at her. He didn't even seem angry or saddened. He merely paid for the tiles and picked up the purchase. He left the paint to Sakura and didn't offer assistance this time. Furiously, she wiped at her eyes and struggled after him.

As a child, Haruno Sakura had been fascinated with rain. She had spent countless hours on the balcony of her parents' home watching the sky release its tears. She often wondered where all the water went, and why more kept coming even as they slipped below the ground.

The emotions Sakura currently felt were similar to rain. The resentment she had been harbouring slowly trickled away, and after the last reserves of anger had seeped away, they were replaced by a dull heaviness that settled in the pit of her stomach. It gave her no joy, no relief.

Sakura found herself staring at Naruto's back, the same way she had when he had defended her against the Mist-nins. From behind, a perspective in which his goofy grin and contrasting solemn stare was hidden from her view, she discovered that her teammate was more a mystery than she had presumed. She didn't know him as well as she thought.

The Naruto from their Academy days wouldn't dare to disagree with her. If she desired for him to be gone, he would be at the door before he turned back and asked, "Until when?" The unspeaking Uzumaki Naruto that Sakura was currently reacquainting herself with was a stranger. He didn't call her name with that sweet annoying glee, didn't hold the ground she walked on to be sacred. He didn't even smile anymore.

With a sickening lurch of her stomach, Sakura realised that this was not what she wanted. She missed the old Naruto, the one who could distract her dark thoughts with his babbling, the idiot who was always there to wait for her, the sparring partner who had levelled his blows to match hers and constantly reminded her to check the straps on her weights.

The stoic Naruto reminded her too much of Sasuke.

_Sasuke… _Sakura shook her head; her crush wasn't here – her inexplicable teammate was.

"Naruto?" she asked tentatively, hurrying to catch up with the blonde's steady pace.

He seemed to be moving away from her, even as she desperately tried to close the physical distance between them. He didn't turn, but his words echoed hauntingly in her mind.

"There's nothing to say. You know it."

Sakura faltered. Her head dropped and she bit her lip, the gates of her inner self breaking down to desperation. The weight of the paint cans gradually lessened to nothing more than a slight pull against her grip. She held onto them and mourned how she could not do the same to Naruto.

No, he was wrong. She had a lot more to tell him, if he would only listen to her. But he wasn't going to do that, was he? Sakura chuckled humourlessly. For some reason, she felt like she'd asked for it.

* * *

He could hear her trudging behind him, cans clanging soundly against each other as if their carrier mistook them to be replacement for him. She must be enraged by now, and he had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that she wouldn't hesitate to remove his head from his shoulders without surgical instruments if either limb had been unoccupied.

Naruto sighed and shifted his load. Why couldn't he have just accepted the first apology and allowed his teammate to savour the triumph of earning his forgiveness? Since when had he gained a special ability to ignore Sakura's Big Green Eyes of Irresistible Persuasion? Why hadn't he just coughed up his pride and handed it to her on a golden platter?

Because she would just trample over it, that's why.

He knew it. She knew it. It was not a secret. Sure, he could say that he forgave her, and she would beam and promise that she would never mistreat him again. But she didn't get it, just didn't understand that some things couldn't be taken lightly.

Naruto was not one to hold a grudge. By nature, he was open and light-hearted – he'd had a lot of practice keeping the grin on his face even through the darkest of times. He was angry at Sakura – Kami would know that something was wrong with him if he wasn't – but, strangely, he seemed to feel sad. He didn't know if Sakura was feeling painful after-effects, but he certainly wasn't very comfortable with his.

Not for the first time, Naruto tried to imagine what the consequences would be if Sasuke did not exist, or if Sakura was not with him. Naruto had tried to avert all the blame on Sasuke. But he couldn't. Sasuke might have been a little unhospitable, but that was the only fault he had. He hadn't asked for this, in the same way that he hadn't asked for the massacre of his family.

Sometimes, Naruto just felt so sorry for the other boy, because he had to deal with squealing fangirls at every turn. He deemed those girls shallow-minded. It was ironic that Sakura, who had the highest academic results in his graduating class, was among those that looked at other boys through shaded glasses.

It only made him like her that much more. He'd thought that she must be special to be able to hold onto two contrasting personalities with such balance. It wasn't until two days ago that the blonde discovered that maybe Haruno Sakura wasn't so different after all.

Naruto wearily greeted Kurenai when they entered the shop. She raised an eyebrow at his dejected mood but did not inquire. He shrugged and gave her a brief thumbs-up. He left the tiles to Kiba and returned to his tending of the carpet.

Did Kurenai-sensei ever get tired of being right all the time?

* * *

"Hey Akamaru," Kiba said, rubbing his companion's belly. "When do you think everything will be back to normal, huh?"

"_Can you scratch my ears instead? I'm a little itchy there…"_

He scowled. "Oi, I'm talking to you."

In response, the puppy rolled right-side up and licked the boy's hand. _"I heard you."_

"Yeah? Well, let's hear it."

"_I'd like to __think_ _that it'll be soon, but I guess it won't be."_

"That wasn't what I was looking for."

"_Sorry."_

Kiba sighed and shuffled forward to sit on the edge of the roof, legs hanging over the edge. "Forget it."

Kurenai had dismissed her charges for an hour long lunch break. She herself was reclining in a restaurant, ushered there on Yasumagi Shinji's gratitude. Before she left, she had left the three genins with a strict warning not to disturb the villagers or create havoc of any sort. When Yasumagi held the door open for the jounin, Kiba gave a piercing wolf-whistle and grinned roguishly when his sensei turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

He doubted that she, as a skilled kunoichi, had missed the crimson shade splashed across Yasumagi's cheeks.

An updraft swept by, sweeping Kiba's hood off his head and ruffling his hair. The wind brought with it a familiar scent. Akamaru barked once and slipped over the edge of the roof, disappearing before his master could grab him back. Kiba grumbled as he prepared to follow.

If Sakura had been stunned by a puppy falling from the sky and into her lap, she definitely gave no indication of her surprise. Likewise, she merely turned and smiled faintly when Kiba landed lightly beside her.

"Hey."

"Yo." He lowered himself on the step. "Why aren't you going out to get something to eat?"

"What aren't you?"

"Point taken. Don't feel like it, I suppose… yeah, I know _you _do, boy." Kiba reached out a hand to ruffle Akamaru's fur. The puppy scurried under Sakura's arm, obviously favouring her fondling over his master's. "Fine – be that way," he declared.

Sakura chuckled. "He needs a woman's touch."

"Do you think it would have been better if I got a bitch instead?"

"… A _what_?"

"Female pup."

"Oh. Erm… no. For the sake of the pup."

"Hey," Kiba said indignantly. "I'm not bad with girls."

"In case you haven't noticed, you're talking to one right now and she's not impressed."

"_You're _talking."

"What?"

"You're not all that good with boys either."

Sakura froze momentarily. Her hand trailed through Akamaru's fur and eventually rested on the dog's head. Akamaru whimpered in response to her silence, pawing nervously at her hand. She entertained him for a moment. "Can we not talk about this?" she whispered.

Kiba stared at her. Then he shrugged and reclined, stretching out on the concrete. He closed his eyes. "This has to stop, you know."

"I'm aware of that, thank you."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"How's it going? Said sorry yet?"

She frowned. "Why are both of you acting like it's my fault?"

"Because it kind of is?" Before she could protest, Kiba continued, without opening his eyes. "Sasuke almost turned Naruto into a walking barbeque, so he's got a bit of a problem. He probably shouldn't have attacked like that, but it's not too bad, since he was only trying to get that Mist ninja. You, on the other hand, are hurting Naruto in a way no amount of burns can."

Sakura blinked. Then she leaned forward and pressed the heel of her palm into her eyes. "I tried apologising," she said quietly. "I really did. But he's ignoring me and I just get angry – you know how I say things I don't mean when I'm mad. It isn't working."

"That's because you're not trying hard enough," Kiba stated matter-of-factly.

"But I am!"

A pause, as if he were judging something. "It's not sincere. What you say, I mean."

Sakura sighed exasperatedly. "Why do you both say that?"

Kiba's eyes opened. He sat up. "You still don't get what you did wrong, do you?"

"I wasn't particularly nice to Naruto, I'll admit… and I probably acted like an idiot in front of Sasuke."

Nodding, Kiba concluded, "So you don't know _how _wrong you are."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't see how bad it is, so it's hard for you to mean it when you apologize. You say it more in hope that he'll forgive you than in real remorse for your actions."

Half-heartedly, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Inuzuka Kiba?"

"I'm trying to help here."

"I'm listening."

"You'd better be." Kiba's eyes darkened to terrifying shades when Sakura glanced at him, and she suddenly appreciated his easygoing self much more than usual. "Do you really like Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

_Ah, I know this! _"He's handsome, a genius, matu-"

"Because everyone else does," Kiba summarised, moving on before Sakura could sputter an objection. "What do you think about Naruto?"

This brought a similar conversation with Kurenai-sensei to surface. "He's not that bad sometimes – he just acts like an idiot and that's where he loses points."

"Do you like him?"

"_What_? NO!"

Kiba sighed and resisted the urge to take the old-fashioned approach and smack some sense into her. "Not in _that _way. In general. As a friend."

Sakura struggled with that. It would have been much easier to produce a carbon response, but she knew that it was not what Kiba was looking for. "He's nice enough," she said finally, carefully.

Kiba grunted. "Okay then. Which team are you in?"

She looked pointedly at him, but he persisted with a stubborn stare of his own. She sighed, seeing no point. "Team Eight."

"Who are your teammates?"

"Kurenai-sensei, Akamaru, Naruto and you."

"You wish Sasuke was on your team, don't you?"

"Frankly, yes."

"If you had the chance to boot off me or Naruto for him, who would you choose?"

Sakura's mouth opened, and then snapped shut with enough force for Kiba to hear a distant _click_. A long moment of silence followed. Akamaru leaned out and looked up at the pink-haired girl. She pulled him closer to her.

Not quite trusting her voice, she shook her head.

She didn't see the grim smile on his face. "So there's hope for you after all."

"Kiba…"

"Sorry, but I've got to be hard with you. Naruto's been too gentle and that's why you can push him around. You shouldn't be able to. As teammates – I'm not even going onto 'as friends' here – we're all equals. We should respect each other."

"You sound like Iruka-sensei."

"You know, I actually understand why he's such a hen when it comes to stuff like this. It's the same with Hana. When she tries to fuss over relationships and acknowledging other people for what and who they are, I pretend to sleep and wait till she goes away." Kiba chuckled. "But now I know. It's important. It really is. That's why we're in this fix."

He put his arm around Sakura, startling her; he rarely displayed physical companionship with her. "Look here, Sakura," Kiba said sternly. "Naruto cares about you. It's the reason why he jumped into his first battle with missing-nins faster than Kurenai-sensei could stop him. He can't stand seeing you get hurt. Maybe you know that, maybe you don't. But if you do, I hope you're not taking it for granted."

"I'm not," she said gloomily. _Because I've never thought about it_, she admitted silently.

"Good. Now, believe it or not, _I _care about you, too. Both of you. You two are my teammates, my friends. I don't see why things have to be so complicated. We're a team. We had good times, didn't we? We had _fun_. I've got no right to tell you who you should adore and who you shouldn't – you can run after Uchiha if you want. But we're a team. Remember this: me and Kurenai-sensei and Naruto are the people you have to rely on to survive."

Kiba squeezed his teammate's shoulder gently. "I like this team," he said. "Please don't break it up for me."

Sakura was nodding before she fully recognised what she was agreeing to. She forced down her indignant protest. No one appreciated being told that they were wrong. Sakura was no different. She did not like the helpless sensation of having her faults pointed out. But the helplessness was proof that she had nothing to say in defence of herself, which then highlighted that, although she was less than pleased with it, she did indeed have some responsibility to bear.

Absently, she tickled Akamaru under the chin. His warmth soothed her – but only a little. "He's not forgiving me," Sakura murmured. "It doesn't matter how many times I apologise; he's not listening."

"Trust me – he is. Naruto acts like an idiot half the time – _is _an idiot, actually – but he's got some brains. He just doesn't say much about what he thinks deep down." Kiba shrugged. "Don't you know that it's the happy people you have to look out for? They're the ones that smile even when they're sad; you don't know what they're thinking."

Sakura groaned. "Great. I have to deal with a moody idiot. Any detours?"

"Depends on what you do." Kiba moved away and stood up, craning his neck back in a stretch. "Kurenai-sensei will be back in ten minutes or something. I'm going to get something to eat. Oh and Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Just tell him what you're thinking. There isn't any point in hiding it. If you hit it the right way, it'll work out fine." Kiba grinned once and stuck his hands in his pockets as he started to walk away. Akamaru slipped from Sakura's arms, hurrying after his master.

Sakura was faintly aware of the fading footsteps. She stared at Kiba's back. _Just like Naruto…_

"_If you had the chance to boot off me or Naruto for him, who would you choose?"_

She didn't want it like that. If teams could accommodate four genin and not three, Sakura would not have to choose. Of course, if she absolutely had to, she would have to make sacrifices… but it would hurt. She didn't want to see Kiba's angry reaction or Kurenai-sensei's disappointment. She didn't want to lose sight of Naruto's smile. She didn't want to be the one to ruin the team.

"Kiba! I'm coming too!"

* * *

For someone as loud as he was, Naruto was frustratingly difficult to locate in a hurry.

She eventually found him in the local park several blocks from their hotel. He was sitting on one of the swings, swaying to a light momentum. It reminded Sakura of similar moments in which the swing was the one outside the Academy. The morose expression was the same, however.

He lifted his head when she approached. "Is it time already?"

She shook negative. "Five more minutes," she replied. Kurenai had actually already returned from her lunch break. She had opened her mouth when she had spotted Sakura, but after Kiba had taken her aside and muttered something in her ear, the jounin had shrugged and told her to be back on time.

The swing creaked with rust and age. "You can go now."

In response, she pressed a cup of steaming miso ramen into his hands.

Naruto looked up in surprise. His hands tingled with the warmth. He stared questioningly at her. "Sakura?" he asked, after she showed no signs of beginning.

She took a deep breath. "You can continue to ignore me after this. Just let me get it out." She clasped her hands together to prevent them from fluttering. "I-I like Sasuke. Being around him makes me do stupid things."

Naruto lowered his head.

Sakura bit her lip. "I don't mean half the stuff I said to you. You're an idiot, but you're a kind idiot. I guess… I only pick on you because I didn't expect myself to be the kind of girl that _any _boy would like. It's become a natural reaction to compare every guy I come across with Sasuke, and when you get used to doing something, you just don't realise that you're doing it anymore. I know I shouldn't be doing that. You are who you are, not who I want you to be. You're Naruto and I… I guess I just forgot about that."

She winced when he unexpectedly shifted his weight on the swing; she thought he was going to hit her. She wished he did, as his wordless demeanour unnerved her more than the missing-nins they had encountered.

She tried again. "Naruto, I'm sorry. Really. I mean it."

It was a strange experience to witness Naruto being observant. Sakura resisted the urge to squirm under the intense gaze he subjected her to. It was not unlike the one he had earlier judged her on.

Except this time, when he was finished, he just grunted and looked away.

Sakura felt like crying. She really did. It was like being refused Sasuke's companionship ten times in a row – in the same day, too. Naruto hadn't even tried to snap open the chopsticks she had provided him and he _adored _ramen to the extreme. Kiba had even confirmed that miso flavour was the blonde's favourite… _What did I do wrong this time?_

Nothing. It was just that she had nothing more to give.

So she slumped in defeat and walked away.

* * *

Sakura didn't think she was short.

She merely considered herself not tall enough.

"Ano," she called. Yasumagi Shinji's head poked out from the storeroom. "Do you have a ladder?" She indicated with her brush the walls around her. Fresh and old paint clashed in an apparent line above her head, the occasional abstruse stroke marking the spots where Sakura had strained on her toes to reach.

The tailor scratched his head as he tried to remember. "I do; I just finished folding and packing it. Do you want me to get it out for you?"

Sakura sighed. There was no point disturbing their client's luggage. "No, it's okay. Thank you."

Yasumagi continued to insist for a while, but after Sakura firmly disagreed with troubling him, he finally complied and retreated. The genin stared up at the perimeter she had yet to completely furnish and felt like groaning.

_I suppose I can walk up the walls,_ she mused, eyeing the sections where the paint had already dried. _Or I could ask Kurenai-sensei to help._ Seeing the jounin occupied with sealing the larger and heftier of Yasumagi's belongings into storage scrolls, Sakura found herself reluctant to disrupt her mentor's work. She turned back to the wall. Then she sighed, dropped the brush into the nearest paint can, and bent over to roll up the legs of her trousers.

There was a cracking and splintering sound above her ears. Sakura snapped her head up, expecting to see Kiba falling through the roof. Instead, it was Naruto, snapping the limbs of a chair that Yasumagi claimed he had no further need for. He paused to raise an eyebrow at her when he noticed her staring at him. His eyes travelled to the unpainted sections of the walls, then back down where Sakura was kneeled over.

He tossed the remnants of furniture outside to a pile of dusty trash and wiped his hands on the front of his jacket. He scooped up the can and the brush inside it. "I'll do it for you," he said. "You go help Kurenai-sensei."

Sakura knew that she was supposed to be redeeming herself. It slipped out anyway. "_You_? You're shorter than I am!" Her mouth snapped shut in a grimace shortly afterward.

Naruto's face contorted. Into a smirk.

"Have you seen what I've done to the Hokage Stone before?"

It didn't take much effort to recall. "Yes."

"If I can pull off artwork on a mountain, I can handle a wall." Naruto stirred the paint several times, then flicked out the brush.

Sakura watched in horror as his arm swung back to fling the can's contents at the wall.

"WAIT!" she shrieked. He fumbled at the volume of her voice and lost his footing briefly. She snatched the unofficial weapons from his grasp. Naruto's eyes widened, his neck going rigid as he fought the instinct to duck his head.

Sakura almost dropped the paint. For a second, he had seemed like… Naruto.

"Kurenai-sensei specifically ordered us not to let you touch the paint," she said apologetically. _And now I know why._

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He decided not to risk it; he had seen what Yuuhi Kurenai could do during a rage.

"Fine," he grumbled. He crouched down, turning his back to her. "I'll help anyway."

She blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a boost. Sensei wants us to get this finished today."

Sakura hesitated. Needless to say, it was rather _awkward _to upset someone and then climb onto him directly after. Not to mention that there was an extreme likelihood that she would become the victim of a prank, seeing as this was, despite everything, Uzumaki Naruto_._

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said nervously. "Your leg is still injured."

For a short moment, he didn't appear to have any idea what she was talking about. Then he shrugged. "I heal fast."

"Still… I don't think-" Her protest was cut off as he ducked between her legs, grabbed her ankles, and straightened, levering her up on his shoulders. She squeaked in surprise. _I swear he's enjoying this! _she thought, her face reddening as she realised exactly how _close _they were.

"Don't kick," Naruto muttered. He stooped over to pick up the paint and handed it up to her. "Just paint."

She was on the verge of pointing out that she _couldn't _kick because he was holding onto her legs. But after considering that he was only doing so to maintain her balance and that he had not showed any signs of his inner pervert surfacing, Sakura decided to spare him. She silently dipped the brush into the paint and slathered it on the surface before her.

She would show Naruto that she trusted him.

Sakura still could not reach the full length of the wall; the higher confines were beyond her reach. Undoubtedly, when required, Naruto would conjure up a creative formula for success. He always did. His brain twisted and worked in such a way that even Sakura could not understand. Naruto never ran out of possibilities, as she had discovered in their missions together. If he ran out of kunai, he would reach for a shuriken, and if he exhausted _those_, he would just use his fists. One could count on Naruto to get something done.

"A bit to the left," she directed. He shuffled to adjust, sidestepping one short stride. "I'm sorry I yelled, Naruto."

"Doesn't matter. You do it all the time anyway."

Sakura dipped the brush into the paint, carefully steering the can away from motives of eventfully changing the colour of Naruto's hair. "What happened to the ramen?" she asked cautiously, bracing herself for the revelation.

There was a long moment of silence. "I ate it, of course," Naruto said finally.

She stared down at him but he didn't tilt his head back to meet her questioning gaze. "Does that mean…" she said hopefully.

"No."

She flinched. "Oh. I thought… I thought you would have forgiven me by now."

Naruto was silent, so Sakura assumed that she had said something wrong. Her arm moved on unconscious orders, her wrist flicking with a horizontal movement. It was strange, sitting on Naruto's shoulders and realising that he was as sturdy as any ladder could be. She had perched on the blonde's shoulders once before, on a mission to clear out a chain of bee hives from the Academy. It had been a rather bumpy experience, as Naruto had complained about getting stung and had stumbled quite a lot in an attempt to avoid the painful pricks.

She hadn't realised it at the time, but now she did; no matter how many times he had whined and grumbled about short straws, no matter how many times she smashed her elbow down at his conveniently close head, Naruto had not dropped her. He'd held her stable until it had been Kiba's turn to take camel duty, and even after that, he had stood under the tree, arms held out as if he were emphasizing an invisible stomach. Sakura understood now that he had meant to catch her in case she fell.

_Would he still catch me now? _she wondered idly. Probably not.

"Thanks."

She stopped and tilted her head down. "Sorry?"

"For the ramen," Naruto muttered. "Thanks." He shifted his grip on her ankles. "I was hungry."

It was the only thing that felt… familiar. Sakura clung to it. "It's okay," she answered.

"There aren't a lot of people who like me," Naruto admitted quietly.

"Why is that?"

"They just… don't. My pranks, I suppose." He shook his head. "But that's not it… I was really happy when Kurenai-sensei actually cared about me. Kiba and Akamaru, too."

It wasn't a subtle break. "What about me?" Sakura whispered.

Naruto paused. "I don't know."

She slumped.

"But Sakura…"

"Hai?"

"I don't know about you, but to me you're a friend… and I care about you. It's probably not in my place to say this but… Sasuke's not good for you. I'm not saying this to get you to give up on him… he's not interested. There's no point wasting your time on him…" Realising that he had no specific support backing his reasoning, Naruto turned his head to one side and said in a low voice, "You don't have to listen to me."

Sensing an opportunity, Sakura hastily dived to it. "No, no… I get where you're going." There was no stifling the hurt and disappointment. She had known for years… it just stung to have it pointed out. In fact, she had heard the 'give up' speech so many times – some of them from the infamous Uchiha himself – that they no longer had much meaning.

Naruto, with all his open affections toward her, had not subjected her to this reasoning before. The fact that he had just done so alerted Sakura to solid reality. If Kiba and _Naruto _could see the faults, the chances of her overlooking them were slim.

_I suppose… I've just been staring at them for too long._

"Can you go higher?" she requested in a soft voice. Naruto looked up and she indicated the required increase of height. He pulled his hands together and summoned a shadow clone. The duplicate grumbled before reluctantly lowering onto all fours and allowing the original Naruto to clamber onto his back.

Sakura was glad that Naruto was more focused on his footing than her; she didn't want him to see the uncertainty at the risen height, or her doubt of his stability.

But he seemed to have intuitively sensed it anyway. "I won't drop you," he said.

Sakura tore her gaze from the ground and focused on painting. Staring would only increase her hesitation and fear. She wanted to trust him.

She concentrated her efforts on sealing her ambiguity. Even when Naruto conjured a row of clones to step across when required she did not look down. She _did_ tuck her knees closer against his neck to support the shifting weight, and it was enough notification for Naruto to increase his grip on her ankles to reassure her in return.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you… do you still like me?" She surprised herself with the poker-face she managed to maintain.

He didn't look up. "Yes," he said after a long pause.

Sakura nodded. "Are you still mad?"

"Yes."

"As much as before?"

"No." Naruto's sigh startled her and she almost dropped the brush on his head. "I know you said sorry – it sounded like you really meant it."

"I do," she assured him.

He shrugged. "Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. I really don't know, Sakura. I'm not sure if I can trust you not to… hurt me like that again."

"I… Naruto-"

"You only act like that when Sasuke's around. I can see that. But you can't avoid him forever. We live in the same village; you'll have to face him almost every day. I'm scared, Sakura. I'm scared that you'll treat me like that every time you see him." _Scared you'll treat me like everyone else._

"I won't. I promise. I… I'll learn to stop acting like that."

"But you still like him."

She opened her mouth to disagree, then closed it. There was no point lying, to Naruto or to herself. "I do," she said. "I can't just say 'I won't like him anymore' and just… _let go_ like that. If you want the truth, I don't know if I'll even be able to get over it."

Naruto's head dropped in bitter disappointment. He tried to mask it. "That's fine. It's your life."

It wasn't going right; she couldn't convey her emotions clearly enough. "Naruto, listen… listen to me. I used to be teased a lot when I was a kid. Because of my forehead. It felt _right_ to like Sasuke, because everyone else was doing the same thing. It made me feel part of something. I got a little interested, I'll admit… but I think I knew all along that he'd never… be _mine_."

She took a breath and closed her eyes briefly. "It's become normal for me to think about him and stare at him whenever he's there. I don't know what will happen if he ever does fall for me. To tell you the truth, I don't even know if I _love_ Sasuke. I'll tell you when I figure it out. But Naruto, can you promise me something?"

He waited.

"No matter what I decide, we'll always be teammates… be friends. We won't let it come between us." She wanted to lean over and look into his eyes and implore him. But she didn't. It would break the faint link of understanding. "Please?"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto said in a whispery tone. "Don't make a promise you can't keep."

"I can," she insisted. "I will. When the time comes, I'll do what's right."

"Can you promise that?"

"Yes."

A pause. "Then I promise too. But I still haven't forgiven you yet."

"I know. I'll show you that you can trust me. I won't hurt you again, Naruto."

How many times had he heard that? A lot. How many times had they turned out to be hollow deceptions? Too many.

Naruto had a lot to think about.

* * *

Kiba's snores made slipping out of the hotel room unbelievably easy.

Naruto knew he should be getting some sleep. Their escort mission would come into effect the next morning and it would really ruin his day if he was yawning throughout the entire trip. It wasn't a very Hokage thing to do.

Not like lying stiffly on the bed and listening to Kiba's heavy breathing would help.

So Naruto wandered. He walked around with his hands in his pockets. His legs made decisions of their own. The streets were relatively empty compared to the previous night, though the buildings were not at all deserted. The inhabitants of Otafuku Gai had all retreated into the shops, leaving a lone genin to brave the night chills.

"What exactly does 'trust' mean?" Naruto wondered aloud, frowning.

"Trust us," a feminine voice ahead of him cooed. Naruto's head snapped up. "You'll have a very good time."

Outside a brightly lit structure obscured by drapes, were two young women. They weren't the prettiest, but the man they had their arms hooked around seemed to think they were gold.

"After all," one of the women said, batting her eyelashes. "This _is_ Fun Fun Street."

Her companion picked up her cue without missing a beat. "We'll give you a _special_ if you manage to fill this with stamps." She produced a small card from the sleeve of her kimono and slipped the string attached to it over the man's head.

Naruto made a face when the white-haired man let out a giggle and slung his arms around his hosts. _Pervert._

"Oh yes," he grinned. His smile gave Naruto goosebumps. "I'll fill them out for you."

"Great!" the first woman chirped. "We'll give you two stamps because this is your first time." A small cylindrical stamp hung off her neck, and she leaned forward toward the man and the card that hung from his. He ogled her assets and licked his lips in anticipation.

As Naruto turned away in disgust, he caught a glimpse of a horned hitai-ate adorning the man's head. The distance was too great for him to make out the village insignia engraved on the metallic surface. _A perverted _ninja… _even worse._

Naruto made quick progress across the rooftops, arriving shortly at the window of his hotel room. He clambered inside, changed into his pyjamas and slipped into his bed.

Kiba's snores couldn't drown out the perverted giggle that echoed in his mind.

* * *

Despite the horrific events of the previous night, Naruto managed to fall into slumber. Predictably, he slept in.

He woke to a fist pounding on the door.

"Naruto!" Kiba called on the other side. "You up?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked groggily and, rubbing his eyes, turned toward the window. The sun greeted him brightly. "Oh… it's morning," he observed drowsily. Then he noticed the sun's position in the clear sky. It was approaching midday. "GAH!" He sprang up and reached for his jumpsuit. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"That's why I'm here," Kiba deadpanned. "Can I come in now?"

"No! I'm changing!"

The door opened.

"_I said I'm changing!"_

Kiba blinked at the top of Naruto's head, the only part of him visible; the rest was concealed by the bed. "Geez, Naruto. We're guys. Does it really matter?"

"Yes!" the blonde shouted. "At least close the door!"

"Fine, fine." When Kiba turned back, Naruto was already zipping up his jacket and yanking up his trousers. "That… was fast." He shook his head. "You missed breakfast. Kurenai-sensei said we're leaving in an hour. Get packed."

Naruto looked around. "I don't have that much to pack." He shrugged. Then he noticed the absence of white around Kiba. "Hey, where's Akamaru?"

"With Sakura," the Inuzuka replied. He looked at Naruto. "So how are you two going?"

A light breeze entered the room as Naruto slid open the window. He leaned out and looked down at the bustling street. "Don't ask."

"So you didn't make up?"

"Not quite."

"Bad?"

"Not really."

Kiba nodded and joined his teammate by the window. "It'll work out. Did she give you the ramen?"

"Yes." Naruto turned his head to regard him with narrowed eyes. "Oh, so that was _you_, was it?"

"What you didn't know wouldn't have hurt. I just told her what flavour you liked – she paid."

"Hmm."

The wind ruffled Naruto's hair and threw back Kiba's hood.

"You still angry at her?"

"A bit. More angry at you, actually."

Kiba blinked. "Me? Why?"

"You didn't wake me up," Naruto fumed.

"Oh. _That_." The taller boy grinned. "You were sleeping like a… okay, don't give me that look – it's creeping me out. I'll buy you breakfast, how's that?"

Naruto's frown split into a grin. "Now you're talking! Let's check out that ramen stand from yesterday."

He would have dashed out the door had Kiba not grabbed a handful of his jacket and held him back. He looked over his shoulder, pouting. "What? Lemme go already."

"Naruto…" Kiba released him and strode past him. At the door, he stopped but didn't look back. "I'm glad you're back."

Naruto stared. During his silence, Kiba left the room, hands in pockets and whistling lightly. After a short moment, Naruto walked out into the hallway and called after his teammate. "Oi! Kiba!"

"Yeah?"

He grinned. "I'm glad to be back."


	8. A Different Person

**Chapter 8 – A Different Person**

It was magic.

The tailor watched, dumbfounded, as solid clones of the blonde boy were brought forth from empty matter to load and push the wheelbarrows. He also recalled that the female jounin had, with ease, reduced the majority of his furniture to be contained in a single scroll that fit into in his coat pocket.

Having lived in Otafuku Gai, a small town used by travellers for boarding and to replenish supplies, Yasumagi Shinji heard constant whispers of ninja. He had served some of them, tailoring their vests and stitching up correct spans for their uniform holsters.

There had been a time when he, like all other children that lived in the Fire Country, had aspired to become a ninja. However, reality eventually ruled out his childish ambitions. He had been his father's only son, and as his older sisters had already moved out to start their own families, he had been handed the duty of carrying out the family business. Ever dutiful, he had agreed, concealing his disappointment with dedication.

He did not regret his decision. In fact, he quite enjoyed his customers' pleasure at his service. That was why he was moving to the Leaf Village; surely his expertise would be of better use in a ninja society. It also somewhat satisfied his childhood fantasies. Even though his physical self would not be taking part in any forms of combat, he was satisfied with the knowledge that those wearing his tailored uniforms were defending their country. It was a civilian's pride of the highest calibre.

But Yasumagi Shinji had inevitably missed out on many opportunities. While he had been taught to critically judge measurements to suit individual requirements, others his age had been tutored to utilise and mould the chakra within their bodies. Where his hands were trained to handle needles and scissors without the slightest tremble, theirs held kunai and flicked into handseals.

Still… this was something else.

Had Yasumagi attended the Leaf Village Academy, he would have grown to become one of the ninja that currently escorted him. He was a little envious of their capabilities; they attracted his interest infinitely. But he knew his place. He was but a modest tailor, nothing more, nothing less. Just a tailor.

And he was tired.

"Excuse me," he said, and the jounin turned to regard him. Yasumagi took out a napkin and wiped at his sweaty brow. "It is approaching nightfall."

Kurenai tilted her head back to look at the setting sun and the blur of darkness that could be seen at the horizon. Indeed, night was approaching. A ninja's prime time for travel was at night, a time where ambushes became a play of cat and mouse, and where their movements would be concealed for the better part.

For civilians like Yasumagi, night meant sleep.

Naruto, who had been orchestrating his clones at the back of the group, jumped onto the front of a wheelbarrow. "Hey, why are we stopping?" he asked curiously. "What's wrong?" He looked around but there were no signs of enemy ambushes. "Kurenai-sensei?"

The jounin did not answer immediately. Her gaze became distant and Naruto had seen his mentor's contemplative expression enough times to know better than to interrupt. "Excuse me for a moment, Naruto," she said finally. She took Yasumagi to one side and conversed with him, eventually producing a map to which they pointed and referred to. Naruto frowned and stared curiously at them.

Kiba nudged him. "What do you think they're talking about, huh?" He had a roguish smile on his face, and Naruto kicked his ankle lightly.

"_Not_ dinners by candlelight, I bet," he responded. "Kurenai-sensei wouldn't do something like that."

"Then what else can they talk about?"

"I think Yasumagi-san wants to rest and settle down for the night." The two boys turned to see Sakura behind them, leaning against the other barrow. She was peeling a leaf and scattering the remnants to the ground.

"Already?" Kiba peered up at the sky, frowning. "But it's still early."

"For Yasumagi-san it isn't. He isn't a ninja," Sakura reminded. "He gets tires more easily."

Kiba kicked at a small stone. Akamaru slipped out of his jacket and nudged it playfully back at him. "What a waste of time," the boy grunted, kicking the stone once again for his familiar's entertainment. "I guess we won't be getting back to Konoha anytime soon then."

"The mission always comes first, and that means the client," Naruto said without thinking. When his teammates turned their heads to stare at him, he rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Kurenai-sensei keeps telling me that."

Kiba raised an eyebrow, shook his head in wonder and turned away. Sakura cocked her head and continued to gaze meditatively at him. Finding the attention disconcerting, Naruto set about checking the tightness of the ropes that bound Yasumagi's luggage.

He managed not to look at Sakura until Kurenai shifted her concentration elsewhere. "There is a traveller's inn not far from our current position," the jounin said, folding away the map. "We will stay there for the night." She waited briefly for Naruto's protestant outburst or Kiba's groan of disbelief. They didn't come and she cocked an eyebrow at the two of them, silently asking: _What are you two up to now?_ They grinned innocently back at her.

"We figured it out," Kiba boasted. "We're not as dumb as you think we are, Sensei. The client always comes first."

Naruto and Sakura rolled their eyes. When they caught each other's reflective gesture, they shared a small smile, then realised the tentative moment, and promptly turned away to occupy themselves with something else. Kiba frowned at them. "When are they going to grow up, Akamaru?" he wondered aloud.

"_Before you, that's for sure."_

* * *

She was in heaven.

When Kurenai had mentioned a traveller's inn, Sakura had then and there decided that she would be fortunate to get any form of cleansing done. After all, who expected an elaborate spa system to exist in such a remote area?

Sakura unfolded her legs and slid deeper into the water until only her head and a small portion of her neck was visible. The warm water blissfully soothed the lethargy of travel and labour, and loosened tense muscles. It was definitely her loss that Kurenai had decided against joining her pupil. It was a rather small but delightful spa, with stone barriers set around the edge and a wooden fence beyond that, separating the males from the females.

She turned her head when the door slid open to let in a trio of young women, conversing in soft voices. The inn provided only a large towel to wrap around, and unless you had a firm grip or possessed extended knowledge of knots, there was a high likelihood that you would be spending a lot of time trying to keep it on you.

One of the women clearly did not possess such expertise or experience. She fumbled with her towel and her fingers lost purchase on the fabric. The tower slipped lower than Sakura would have found comfortable. The other occupants of the spa were less attentive, however, and the red-faced woman managed to readjust the makeshift garment quickly enough for her friends to have taken no notice.

Not quickly enough for the owner of the high-pitched giggle to have missed, it seemed.

The effect was immediate. It appeared that her companions had more experience in the area than she did. As Sakura began to frown, the spa was already emptying and the three newcomers were shrieking as they made a beeline for the exit. Sakura noticed that they kept a tight hold on their towels _now_.

Her first instinct was to reach for a pair of shuriken to nail into the offending male's disrespectfully prying eyes… if only she hadn't undressed and left her weapons pouch in the change rooms. Cursing, Sakura wrapped her own towel tightly around her body and hurriedly followed her fellow damsels.

As she fled, Sakura was vaguely aware that the intruder had to posses high levels of skill and experience to have escaped her kunoichi radar. She hadn't felt any disturbance in the atmosphere, not even the slightest tingling sensation that she got when she felt something was wrong.

Only another ninja would be capable of such a feat… but ninja were honourable. Sakura found it mentally taxing to picture a shinobi committing such violation of the gender rights. _It must be the steam_, she argued. Yes, the blissful heat and obscuring steam must have nullified her awareness.

No ninja would be so _perverted_.

… Right?

She ran into Naruto and Kiba outside. It was fortunate that they were standing to the side and not in direct view of the enraged women. The females were protesting indignantly to their husbands and anyone else that would listen. A highly offended old lady marched out to get the innkeeper.

"What's going on?" Kiba asked when she reached them. He looked curiously at the gathered crowd. "Why's everyone out here? Something happen?" Then he saw that Sakura was not quite paying attention to him.

Eagerly, Sakura looked over their shoulders but Kurenai's tall figure was nowhere to be seen. The pink-haired kunoichi sighed. If there was ever a time she needed Kurenai-sensei's hardened sense of gender justice, it was now.

"Ne, Sakura," Kiba grumbled. He had turned to follow the direction of her gaze and found nothing. "What are you looking for? What's wrong?"

For some reason, Sakura's face suddenly turned bright red. She mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" Kiba frowned and cocked his head. "What did you say?"

Naruto leaned in as well and managed to catch the end of "Pervert". It wasn't until Akamaru whined and tugged at the leg of his trousers and he looked down that the blonde discovered that he had unconsciously fisted his hand around his jacket.

Very tightly.

He looked up to find his friends staring oddly at him; they had shuffled away from him in cautiion. Slowly, Akamaru inched away as well, and Naruto realized that he was releasing hostile emotions. Carefully, he tried to suppress the boiling anger, swallowing as if he could force it down. When he considered himself to have calmed down considerably, he looked at Sakura and asked, "Did you get… you know, _looked_ at?"

He expected her to hit him, but she merely gave a slight shake of her head. "No," Sakura replied. Then her certainty twisted as Naruto's aura settled. "At least… I don't _think_ so."

Seeing his blonde teammate's clenched jaw line, Kiba hastily pointed at the dissipating crowd and said, "Oh look! Everyone's going! Let's go too, eh? Kurenai-sensei might have something for us to do…" Sakura caught on quickly and the two of them ushered Naruto toward the exit.

* * *

Naruto frowned at his teammates' behaviour. Had he really scared them that much? Like Kurenai said, he would have to keep an eye on his emotions. It would really make his day if Sakura and Kiba learned about his prisoner.

It took a moment for him to get his bearings. When he did, he found that he and Kiba were standing outside the change rooms, waiting for Sakura to change back into her clothes. Naruto occupied himself with observing those that passed him as he waited. The innkeeper, face flushed with anxiety, hurried by to investigate the ruckus, tailed by an indignant granny. The last couple of women departed, murmuring about the general topic that everyone else was worked up about. A white-haired man followed closely behind them. Then it was the women's husbands…

Naruto snapped his head around at such a velocity that his neck issued a crack of protest. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the spiky mane of white hair that was making its way down the corridor. He knew that guy… he'd seen him in _that _street.

Suddenly, everything fitted into place.

Kiba was thrown slightly off balance as a quivering finger jabbed out in front of him. "What the hell, Naruto? You want to poke my eyes out or-"

"PERVERT!"

The Inuzuka groaned as Sakura raced out of the change room, kunai in hand.

* * *

Jiraiya did a double-take when the loud kid pointed at him. He was really losing his touch if he had been discovered, foiled by a _kid _no less. Furiously, he whipped around, prepared to do battle… and came face to face with a startling horde of enraged women and their partners.

"Ehehe… heh… now now!" he said hastily, backing up. He noticed the middle-aged man who was the innkeeper turning toward him. "You can't just believe anything the kid says! I'm just passing!" He glared down at the cause of the otherwise needless commotion. "Listen here, kid, you can't just point at any random person and accuse them of something they didn't do. That's unmanly!"

The mouthy boy's pink-haired friend rounded curiously on him. "He's got a point there. How do you know it's him anyway, Naruto?"

_Na… ruto…?_

A ninja was trained to monitor and conceal their emotions. Jiraiya was as good a ninja as any, and only the slightest twitch of his mouth betrayed him. His eyes swept over the boy in assessment. It was obvious, though, so obvious that it was amazing that he had missed it even at first glance.

Blonde hair, blue eyes and 'Naruto' meant only one thing.

"I'm pretty sure it's him!" the kid insisted, glaring daggers at Jiraiya. "I saw him in Otafuku Gai, walking into this place. There were girls hanging off him and talking about stamps and… and he giggles like a pervert!"

Jiraiya's mouth fell open. The kid had been in Otafuku Gai and he hadn't received the slightest notification? Hadn't he told the old man that he wanted to be kept informed?

It turned out he had more pressing matters on hand.

"Pervert!" the women shrieked. The husbands fashioned weapons out of whatever they could grab and advanced dangerously.

Jiraiya paled and turned to run. But another man was running down the corridor, yelling. Faintly, as he cursed and formed handseals, Jiraiya observed that this man did not appear to be intent on wrenching his head from his shoulders. On the contrary, his eyes were frantically wide and focused only on the three Leaf genins. _Hmm… must be on a mission then_…

A sandal glanced off the back of Jiraiya's head just as he completed the last seal. He realised that he had dropped his 'research' notes in his hurry as he Shunshin'd away, and cursed contemptuously.

Damn that Minato.

* * *

"Wow, Naruto," Kiba whistled. "You actually hit the nail on the head this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Chill, Naruto; I was just saying…" It was strange for Kiba to turn away from a fuming teammate to face a smiling one. In fact, it was downright _abnormal_ for Sakura to be smiling at their public displays of childishness. He peered suspiciously at her. "What are you thinking?"

She blinked, as if just realising that he was there. "Nothing," she muttered, flushing. "Let's just go…" She was interrupted by the arrival of their client. Yasumagi was red in the face as he stopped in front of them and leaned over, clutching his side, to catch his breath. He tried to speak, but his words came in gasping sputters.

It didn't take a genius to deduce that something was wrong.

The three genins glanced at each other, and then ushered the tailor into his room. "What is it?" Naruto demanded once the door was closed.

By then, Yasumagi had caught his breath, but had taken to anxiously wringing out his shirt. "I wanted to prepare my next orders," he began in a flustered tone, "so I went down to the stables to look for my logbook and…" he swallowed. His eyes were wide and the movements of his hands erratic. "And my belongings were gone!"

You could have heard a senbon drop.

"You. Are. Kidding." Kiba hissed out through gritted teeth. He hadn't thought Hana had meant it when she foretold him that he had rotten luck.

Yasumagi sank into the nearest chair and cradled his head in his hands. "I wish it was so," he moaned. "But it's not. My stuff… it's gone. Oh heavens, I should have stayed in Otafuku Gai…"

There was a clinking sound as Kiba's forehead protector thumped against the wall. Akamaru whined at his feet.

Kiba felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to meet Naruto's wordless gaze of silent imploration: _Pull yourself together, we need you._ Blue eyes met slitted pupils. With a start, Kiba realised that his blonde teammate was calmly composed despite the many tantrums had should have thrown out by now. It was strangely assuring. For a short moment, the Inuzuka allowed himself to believe that Naruto would handle it, would make it all okay again. It soothed the flames of frustration that licked at his innards.

They weren't going to fail this mission.

Kiba sighed and nodded. "I get it," he said. He looked over at Yasumagi. "We'll get your stuff back for you, Yasumagi-san. Don't worry."

It was startling to see the sudden change in her teammate's reaction, but Sakura stored the surprise for later. She drew encouragement from Kiba and Naruto's determination. "What was it like when you went down to the stables?" she asked the tailor.

Yasumagi Shinji lifted his head. Not for the first time, he wondered where these children got their decisive willpower from… it was incredible. A crease furrowed his brow as he thought back. "It was a mess," he said. "There were things everywhere… I think they left in a hurry. But they didn't take everything, I don't think. They left the furniture, my tools… I think they only took most of the fabric."

Sakura looked at the boys. "I don't think we're facing shinobi," she said evenly. "They wouldn't be so careless."

"Bandits?" Naruto suggested. Kiba glanced at him, surprised by his attentiveness and the sharp tone in his voice.

"Maybe… when was this, Mister Yasumagi?"

"I went to find you as soon as I saw what happened."

"Then they couldn't have gone far," Sakura concluded. She turned to Kiba. "Can you smell them?"

The tall boy looked down at his dog, but Akamaru shook his head. "There are too many scents here and the steam from the spa is interfering," Kiba answered. Seeing Naruto's deep frown and Sakura's slumped shoulders, he added quickly, "Kurenai-sensei will know what to do. I'll go get her, yeah?"

As he dashed down the hallway, tracing their mentor's scent, Kiba reflected on his reaction. He shouldn't have taken in the amount of shock that he had. After all, who expected a mission to go off without a hitch?

When it had been revealed that their mission only involved the simple escort of a tailor, Kiba had been crestfallen and resentful of it. It wasn't fair that Team Seven got to engage in the more combative mission while his team didn't even get to leave the country. Their mission was boring and it wasn't long before Kiba began praying for some nice action.

But now that his prayers were answered, Kiba wasn't sure if this was what he wanted.

He shook his head. No use thinking about it now_._ It would work out. Kurenai-sensei would know what to do. She always did.

But she didn't when they hurried up to Yasumagi's room to find that Naruto and Sakura were nowhere to be seen.

They were gone.

* * *

He should have waited.

The bark crunched beneath his weight as he paused on it to gaze down at his surroundings. Nothing. No sign of movement. These thieves knew the forest better than he did, so that obviously placed him at a disadvantage.

He really should have waited.

Naruto cursed his impulsiveness as he set off again, eyes darting in all directions. In the midst of waiting for Kiba to return with Kurenai-sensei, he had gone down to the stables to investigate the scene in the hopes that he would find something the intruders had left behind. It was just as Yasumagi had described, and he had found nothing worth notice… but that was probably only because he had been interrupted by a squeak and sounds of scuffling from outside.

His choice of action made it painfully clear that spontaneous decisions were not his specialty.

Briefly, he looked over his back to gauge the distance he had travelled; Naruto could no longer see the inn or the steam that issued from the spas. He must have taken a path of the forest that his team had not bypassed on their way to Otafuku Gai. The terrain was rougher here and was studded with several steep slopes that fell down to Kami knows where. It was all too easy to get lost.

The fact that he had yet to make progress and was rapidly losing his bearings only increased Naruto's frustration.

Then he heard it; the rustling of clothing and the light step of an approaching party. Finding himself with a grin, Naruto slipped out a kunai and concealed himself in a higher canopy of leaves.

A streak of passing red and grey had him slipping down to the ground, stunned. "Sakura-chan!" he called, but she kept running and soon faded from his view. Naruto cursed and focused chakra to his feet, fully intending to pursue her.

He was just about to leap when a hand settled on his shoulder, and it caught him flatfooted. Palming his previous kunai, Naruto twisted out of the grasp, bringing up the weapon with deadly swiftness. No one was catching him off guard.

"It's me!" a voice hissed in his ear just as the blade came slicing down.

Naruto's eyes widened and he pulled away quickly, though he did not disarm himself. He glared at the new arrival. "Who are you?" he demanded.

She blinked. "I'm Sakura."

"Impossible! I just saw her-"

"Bunshin," Sakura dismissed. "I had to draw you out without alerting the thieves somehow. For someone as loud as you are, you hide pretty efficiently."

Naruto's glare receded, but his tensed body did not relax. "What are you doing here?" he said furiously. "You're supposed to be with Yasumagi…" He shook his head and his shoulders shuddered with anger.

Sakura blinked at the blonde's sudden outburst. "Why are you so angry?" she asked quietly.

"You're breaking the rules. When something like this happens, at least one of us has to stay with the client in case it's a distraction from an ambush."

"As if you're not breaking rules by acting without Kurenai-sensei's orders?" she commented dryly.

He turned his trembling gaze on her, nostrils flaring. "I could have killed you just then!"

"Well, I couldn't just leave you! You took such a long time I thought you… don't you realise that it's dangerous to run around in foreign surroundings with no idea how many enemies you're facing? Especially when you're alone? You could have killed _yourself!"_ Sakura's voice had fiercely risen to match his.

It was Naruto's turn to back down under the intense flames that simmered in the emerald eyes. For a moment he just stared into them, discovering emotions that fuelled the gaze. His gaze softened when he uncovered genuine concern and anxiety. She had been worried about him. For him.

The faint glow of satisfaction was promptly stifled by a familiar sense of rising suspicion. His grip on his kunai tightened. "How did you catch up to me so quickly?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Despite the progress she had gained under Takara's tutelage, Sakura still lacked the general speed and stamina.

He was surprised to see her sheepish smile. "I left my weights," Sakura admitted. "I wasn't as fast as I thought I would be without them. I think I need to increase the weight."

Naruto shook out his limbs and found that he needed to do the same; it was frightening how easily he had adjusted to the additional weight after the first few days. He was about to voice this when he remembered their main objective. "We're, uh… supposed to be looking for the thieves," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He stowed away his kunai but kept it within quick reach.

"Oh right." She was equally abashed. "Did you find anything?"

He ducked his head in slight shame. "Nope."

"Have you been in the trees the whole time?"

"Um… yes?"

She sighed. "No wonder." She pointed at the ground. "These people obviously aren't ninja – they didn't even clear their tracks. They left some near the stables too; that's how I knew which way to go."

Naruto winced at his slip. "Yeah well," he grumbled, "I never said I was the best tracker."

That prompted a sigh from Sakura as she started to run. Naruto was half a step behind her. "I wish Kiba and Akamaru were here," she said finally, raising her voice so that it would not be snatched away by the winds. The tone she used told Naruto that she was not only thinking of their tracking abilities.

"We'll be fine," he said confidently.

Sakura smiled; it had been too long since she had heard the bright tone. "Thanks, Naruto."

Moments later, Naruto stopped. "Hey, what's this?" he asked, pointing at a slight alteration in the prints in the dirt. Sakura doubled back and peered at the trails. The depth of the parted dirt was deeper and the marks more consistent as the path lengthened.

"They started dragging their load," she said. "I think they're getting tired. From these tracks, I'd say there are two of them. They should be near. Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself, Naruto."

"I won't, don't worry. But let's go up in the trees, just in case."

Sakura raised an eyebrow; it was unlike Naruto to think ahead. _Maybe he's growing up after all,_ she mused as she followed his lead.

Leaping from branch to branch without disturbing the leaves slowed their progress. It was perhaps their slow pace that allowed them to hear the murmuring.

Naruto stopped on the next branch and threw out an arm to halt Sakura even though she was already informed. They could not see the owners of the voices, so they dropped down to the ground as silently as they could. Both of them stiffened when Naruto's ankle weights clinked, but there were no immediate sounds of alarm. Unconsciously, Sakura relaxed; these thieves were definitely not shinobi.

They stepped lightly toward the direction of the voices, not daring to catch a glimpse of the speakers in case they happened to be facing their direction. Keeping enough distance to breathe without fear and staying close enough to hear the whispers, they listened.

"You done resting, Katsu?"

"Mm." There was a shuffling and the crunch of twigs as the thieves shifted and heaved their burden. Naruto and Sakura tensed, prepared to spring. "Takumi?" This voice sounded young.

"Yeah?"

"Are… are you sure this is the right thing? I mean…" The genins glanced at each other. Was this a ploy to lure them out? Had they already been discovered?

"Why didn't you ask Daisuke before, then?" the other voice snapped. There was a pause during which Naruto barely managed to contain his impatience. "Sorry, Katsu. I didn't mean to shout at you. What I meant was, we've already done it, so there isn't any point feeling guilty about it."

"Okay…"

"It'll be alright, don't worry… come on; let's get moving before they catch us."

"Do you think the others got away okay?"

"They should have… Daisuke usually rounds them up pretty well."

There was a tug on Naruto's sleeve. He turned to meet Sakura's gaze and nodded. So far, they had deduced that there was a band of thieves and that they had caught up with two of them. It bothered the blonde to ponder on the remorseful personality of the younger voice. Naruto didn't feel like hurting someone who realised that he had wronged… but if it was for the mission and, more importantly, his team, he wouldn't hold back.

Sakura tapped him for attention and formed a familiar gesture with her hands; they would do a brief surveillance to rule out an ambush before moving in.

Nothing prepared them for what they would see.

"No way," Naruto hissed, completely disregarding the essence of secrecy. "But they're…"

* * *

Kiba stared, bewildered, at the group he and Kurenai had rounded. "But they're kids!" he said incredulously, turning to his sensei. "They're just a bunch of kids!"

The jounin nodded. "I can see that, Kiba." Kurenai sighed and briefly closed her eyes. What had she been expecting? A jounin? A platoon? Did she not trust her students to consider the danger before they began pursuit?

_No_, she thought wryly, thinking of Naruto, _I didn't. _Kurenai had spent the majority of the last couple of weeks carefully nurturing Naruto's patience. One of her favourite methods was simply getting him to sit down and stay down. While Kiba and Sakura sparred, she would take Naruto to the sidelines and would coax him into staying by her side and observing his teammates. He had not been pleased with the arrangement at first, considering it a waste of time, but when she had pointed out that he would need to have a credible knowledge of his teammates' capabilities to synchronise effectively with them during combat, he stopped complaining and paid closer attention.

While Naruto's restlessness had been discouraged, Kurenai doubted that he had bothered to stop and think before leaving without permission. Technically, it was a violation of the shinobi laws; a ninja was not to act without the direct approval of the superior leading the mission. Kurenai was surprised to see that even Sakura had disobeyed that principle. She would have to discuss the matter with them later, when they got back.

Kurenai frowned as anxiety swelled in her chest on that note of thought; when they got back… how would they get back? _Would _they get back…? She ruthlessly suppressed the urge to leave right away to find her missing charges.

"You'll understand when you get your own students," Kouta-sensei often said to them, usually after Takara had protested loudly about his lecture on regulations or something as boring as that. Kurenai thought that he always seemed to be looking at her in particular when he said that. Had he watched fates change hands and foreseen that she would be the only one of his students to make jounin? Or had he seen that his most level-headed student was more likely to overlook his death than poor Takara?

Kurenai turned away from Kiba and the children, gently massaging her temple with her fingertips. She would never get her answer, would she?

* * *

He smelt salty tears; one of the girls was crying. Kiba narrowed his eyes at them. Children… their 'thieves' had turned out to be children. It hadn't taken the shinobi very long to round them up. After a brief conversation with the innkeeper, Kurenai had led Kiba to a hut west of the inn. The Inuzuka had been surprised to discover that someone actually lived in the wilderness. The structure was clumsily erected from planks of wood, constructed in a fashion not unlike a bird's nest.

Inside, they had found a collection of children, ranging from ages of five to eleven, each of them scruffily dressed. And Yasumagi's goods piled in a corner.

The kids had fled, of course; Kiba had no idea that such a small 'house' could accommodate so many escape routes. They were like mouse holes, and the children were the mice. It seemed that they had practiced the escape many times; the older children grabbed the younger ones and none of the self-erected groups headed for the same escape.

Under different circumstances, Kiba might have been impressed by the creativity the children deployed. But no, Fate made it so, and the Inuzuka remorselessly dragged them back to the hut, ignoring the frantic sobs of the smaller children and the slumped shoulders of the older ones.

It came back to haunt him tenfold as he presently stared down at the 'thieves'. Peering down at them, Kiba could begin to understand why they had decided to steal from a _tailor_, of all people.

He demanded for their explanation anyway. A boy who appeared to be the oldest stood up and glared at him. Kiba cocked an eyebrow; the top of the boy's head didn't even reach his shoulders.

"So you're the leader?" he deduced. Kurenai's head moved an inch to signify that she was listening as well.

The dark-haired boy grunted.

"What's your name?"

Silence.

"It'd be better to cooperate, you know." The boy crossed his arms over his chest and stared bitterly at the floor. Kiba frowned and glanced at Kurenai. She turned away to continue looking out the door, but not before she gave him a subtle nod.

Kiba sighed. He wasn't going to enjoy this. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, kid."

The boy growled and raised his head. To stare at the tip of the kunai that was mere millimetres from his forehead. "You don't scare me," he whispered, though Kiba noticed his shoulders shaking.

"Yeah? Well, I don't have to." Kiba adopted a casual stance, still holding the blade against the boy's head. "You see, unlike me, you're not a ninja. Unlike me, you don't have a forehead protector. If my hand slips, just a little…" In a flash, the kunai was pressed against the slim, pale throat. "You die."

"Just do what he says, Daisuke!" the oldest girl cried. She drew the smallest child into her arms and hid her face in the boy's hair. Kiba lowered his weapon. He had gotten his point across.

"You," he said, tapping the boy on the top of the head. He glared up at him, narrowing his eyes. Kiba was unperturbed. "Your name's Daisuke?"

"So what if it is?" he snarled.

For some strange reason, this Daisuke reminded Kiba of Naruto. "Why did you guys steal our stuff?"

The boy named Daisuke pulled angrily at his tattered shirt. "Do you really have to ask?" he said sarcastically.

Kiba looked at him. This boy was not your average scavenger. "Did anyone give you orders?"

Daisuke snorted. "No one orders us around," he declared. "We've got our own lives! No one has the right to control us." His glanced at his friends, his gaze lingering on the girl who had spoken earlier. She lowered her head. "No one," the boy added in a hollow whisper.

Kiba raised an eyebrow – no, definitely not the average scavenger. "How many of you are there?"

It seemed that Daisuke was incapable of speech; he stood where Kiba had left him, arms around himself as if in embrace. However, the girl from before caught the Inuzuka's eye, and raised her hands to indicate with her fingers that there were seven.

Kiba silently counted the heads. There were five present, including Daisuke. Two were missing - Kiba hoped that they were the ones Naruto and Sakura had taken after. _They're taking so long_, he thought uneasily; the two genins had had a head start and he and Kurenai had still beaten them, in both speed and numbers. His stomach churned and to settle it, Kiba convinced himself that it was only due to Kurenai's skill and experience as a jounin. Yes… it wouldn't be anything else.

The jounin was standing by the door with Akamaru sitting by her feet. The small white dog had been charged with the duty of alerting them if he caught their remaining teammates' scents; Naruto and Sakura wouldn't know to find them here. So far, it had been quiet.

"Sensei?" Kiba asked, walking up to his mentor. She looked down at him and gave him a faint smile. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder.

"They'll be fine," she said softly.

"Me and Akamaru can go find them," he declared. The dog sat up and barked in agreement. "I don't think their scent is gone yet."

The jounin seemed to seriously consider his offer. Then she shook her head. "Let's get them back to the inn first," she said, gesturing to the children. They huddled closer together when they realised that they were the subject of her attention.

Kiba frowned and was on the verge of disagreeing. He didn't need Akamaru's low whimper to figure that it was a bad idea. Kurenai had enough to worry about.

"You guys are coming with us," he told the children. Some of them had the sense to lower their heads in defeat. Daisuke, seemingly having recovered from his trance-like state, answered this news with an all too familiar glare. Kiba ignored him. "Since you stole it, you'll have to help us carry the stuff back – no buts," he added firmly when Daisuke opened his mouth.

The smaller boy snapped his mouth shut and bent over to lift one of the cases with another boy. Both of their wiry frames were surprisingly strong, and Kiba suddenly didn't see the underage theft as bizarre anymore.

"Asshole," Daisuke muttered as he shoved past Kiba. The Inuzuka scowled.

"_I like that kid_,_"_ Akamaru yipped.

Kiba ignored his companion and went over to help one of the girls. They _were _children after all. Kurenai relieved him of his burden when he reached her, so he tapped the girl and they went back to get the last case. His thoughts were allowed to wander as they walked back to the inn, and Kiba did not appreciate any of them.

Inuzukas were known for more than claws and a feral appearance; they also had a keen sense of smell.

And Kiba smelt trouble.

* * *

"Ow!" Naruto winced and lifted his arm to inspect it disdainfully. "What was that for?" he hissed to Sakura.

She dragged him to his feet. "Look, sorry I had to get a little violent… but they're _getting away_!"

"WHAT?"

Snapping his head around sharply, Naruto squinted at the two frantically escaping figures; his less-than-silent whisper had alerted them. They were kids, however, and untrained. It wouldn't take much effort to round them up – it was questionable how they had escaped Naruto's radar for as long as they had. But still… _Kids… why _kids?

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped, drawing his attention. She had already darted into the clearing. "Come _on_!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He took off after her, unable to resist the grin that spread on his face. They wouldn't have any difficulty securing the two boys and their stolen goods. There was no risk or threat involved.

This was going to be fun.

While the children had benefited from a head start, they had not gotten far. Both their physically weaker stamina and the large case they had to carry between them slowed them down. Sakura seemed to be running a tad faster than he was, and Naruto briefly cocked his head in curiosity. His weights had practically grown onto his figure; he barely felt it. When they got back to the village, he would slip off his weights and check it out for himself.

"I'll take left," he called to Sakura.

"Fine. I'll take right." It was just a decoy, of course. Naruto veered to the right, and Sakura took to the trees. He was strangely pleased to discover that their teamwork was still flawless despite the conflicts they had run into.

The sky had darkened, but he didn't need the minimal light to see that the two figures scampering in the distance had paused. Naruto stopped as well, cautiously watching. Then they started running again, this time taking off to the side. Frowning, the blonde genin cut diagonally to them. His confusion was promptly scattered, replaced by adrenaline as he sprang at them.

It was so easy that Naruto barely felt that his efforts were to be commended. For the two children, a figure rushing out from the shadows, skidding to a stop before them, landing on all fours, was something out of a nightmare. The younger boy let out a squeak and dropped his end of the case. His companion relinquished his own hold on their loot and, with wide eyes, began to back away.

Naruto noticed this. He shook his head and pointed at a spot in front of him. When they refused to move, he let out a low growl, and they practically _scurried_ to stand before him. Thankfully, the darkness cloaked his grin from their sight.

Up close, the 'thieves' were younger than Naruto had initially thought. As a shinobi, he tended to think that he was older than most children their age, even those that were physically older than him. Staring down at the two kids before him, Naruto realised that they couldn't be older than he was, perhaps even a few years younger. They were thin but not malnourished, and their clothes hung in loose, unfitted rags around their bony shoulders.

They were also shorter than him, but it didn't make Naruto feel any better.

"You let us on for quite a chase," he said in a chipper voice, frightening them with his cheerfulness. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Which one's Katsu?"

The smallest boy, whimpering, raised his hand.

Naruto nodded at the other boy. "Then you're Takumi?"

He nodded.

"Well, Takumi and Katsu, didn't your mothers teach you that stealing was bad?"

They both hung their heads and Takumi muttered something that sounded like 'no mother'.

Naruto glanced overhead. "We're taking you back," he said slowly. "You did something wrong, so you'll have to pay for it. You got a problem with that?" His hands clenched slightly; this was the moment. If they were going to make a break for it, now would be the time.

Thankfully, the older boy, Takumi, shook his head. "Did you get the others?" he asked in a small voice.

At the point of stepping forward to secure them, Naruto paused. Truthfully, he didn't know, but Iruka-sensei had always said that you should never show your hand before the game was over. "Of course we did," he said in a confident tone. Takumi visibly slumped in defeat. "Daisuke put up quite a fight," he added, recalling mention of the name from earlier.

Naruto had thought that, by correctly identifying someone they knew, he would have weakened Takumi's emotional defences. While that might have proved effected, the other boy's reaction still managed to surprise him. "Don't hurt Daisuke," Takumi whispered. "He only wants… what's best for us."

It was a statement that suggested many varying backgrounds. This Daisuke could be an adult whom the boys respected, or he could be a friend or comrade who had orchestrated the theft. Naruto shrugged. It didn't really matter to him. Their primary aim was to locate the thieves and recover Yasumagi's goods. It was a relief that Takumi and Katsu were not putting up a fight; it would make their job that much easier.

The boys seemed willing to accept responsibility of their actions. Naruto fished around in his pocket for wire.

Everything had been working out – he had even started whistling with ease – until Sakura came down.

He hadn't forgotten she was there, but Naruto was surprised by her sudden descent regardless. He supposed that she had realised that she no longer needed to conceal her presence. Their audience, however, were no more accustomed to people morphing out of the shadows than they were to pigs flying.

The smaller of the boys, Katsu, freaked out at the sight of Sakura. He stumbled back and, like something out of the comics Naruto often sneaked into the bookstore to read, tripped on the case behind him and tumbled backward.

Now Naruto knew why the boys had changed their direction earlier on.

The area had not been a forest to begin with, but rather a rocky and arid region. At some point in history near the age of the Second War, the Senju clan had fought here, and, like everywhere else they went, their techniques left their mark. So technically, the 'forest' had once been a clutter of cliffs, and still was. Sakura knew this from their history lessons.

Naruto didn't; he only cared about was the boy disappearing over the edge.

All he heard was Takumi's frantic cry before everything else was drowned out by the howling of the wind.

* * *

She was getting restless.

It was frustrating to be sitting up in the trees while Naruto dealt with the thieves. Sakura would prefer to be closer, so that she would be able to catch more than confusing snippets of their conversation, but there was always the risk of being caught. Worse, if it was indeed a disguised ambush, she had to be there to support Naruto.

Knowing her worth felt good… but having a teammate's life on her hands was pressurising. It weighed her down. She didn't know how the kunai got there, but it was assuring to have something, even if it was a weapon, to hold onto. She wound her fingers around it tightly, and watched.

But the kunai brought trouble.

When it appeared that Naruto had secured the thieves without struggle, Sakura came down from the trees, releasing a huge sigh of relief as she did so. But to the two boys, her sudden entrance must have frightened them. Yet… it hadn't been that bad…

If it weren't for the kunai.

It hadn't crossed Sakura's mind to put it away and she was still holding it as she descended. The smaller boy with dark hair had already been startled by her entry, and his eyes were wide with fear and shock when his gaze landed on the blade. Against the shadows of the forest, the kunai's edge glinted menacingly.

The boy gave a startled cry as the back of his short legs knocked Yasumagi's case and he was tipped over. Before Sakura could blink or make a grab for him, he was falling… and falling. Until she could no longer see his flailing fingers and all that she could hear was his fading scream.

A cliff. She hadn't seen it. Perhaps she should have.

Sakura ran to the edge just as the other boy reached it. He cried out for his friend, but Sakura's throat was closed against her will. She couldn't help but think that it was her fault. The kid had stolen from them, true… but he didn't have to…

She was interrupted by a flash of orange from the corner of her eye. Her stomach plummeted with Naruto.

* * *

At the moment, he was only certain of one thing: it was a hell of a lot easier running _up trees_ than _down cliffs faces._

Naruto felt his chakra slipping as gravity forced him down faster than his legs could keep up with. He cursed when he applied too much chakra, cracking the rock beneath his feet. He managed to stabilize his balance, but only after wasting a few precious seconds.

"Katsu!" he yelled. He was almost level to the boy now, but only because the kid's fall had been slowed down slightly by plummeting through a thin canopy of hanging branches. "Give me your hand! NOW!"

There was a pained look on Katsu's face when he struggled to force his arm against gravity. Naruto gritted his teeth and stretched his own as far as it would go without overbalancing or losing speed. For a second, the tips of their fingers brushed together and Naruto started to grab the other boy.

But only for a second.

The next, Katsu was torn away by gravity and continued his free-fall. Something wet spattered against Naruto's face, landing just under his left eye. It stopped him in his tracks, and he shakily raised his hands to wipe away the liquid. They were tears, of course – just not his. Katsu's. He was crying.

Naruto had a thing about tears. As a child, he had cried. A lot. He cried for everything; lack of food, lack of attention, lack of entertainment – lack of friends. There were so many things he lacked. So he cried for them all; cried until his eyes were all red and puffy and Old Man Hokage had to get a reluctant medic-nin to restore his sight; cried until all the tears were spent and he had learned how not to cry anymore.

Tears were usually accompanied by very, very unwelcome memories. Suddenly, Naruto dreaded returning to the surface, knowing that he would have to face Takumi's grief-stricken tears when he returned empty-handed. He didn't want to see that crushed hope. He was sick and tired of it.

After all, he saw it every day in the mirror.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto roared, expelling more chakra than necessary for the technique. He grabbed the clone's hand, and a long chain of Narutos appeared from the end of that duplicate, linked together through creative uses of their arms and legs.

"Get 'im!" they shouted in unison. And, much to Naruto's surprise, they did.

Truth be told, Naruto hadn't been expected the manoeuvre to work; hardly anything ever worked out for him when he needed it to. So he was caught flat-footed by the unexpected shift of weight at the end of the chain. Shadow clones were weightless, so it hadn't taken much effort to support their weight even if there were so many of them.

Katsu was pure substance, though, and his weight sent Naruto lurching forward (technically, he was thrown _downward_) in surprise. The boy wasn't by all means heavy, but when he was dangling from the end of dozens of clones, it was like reeling in a boulder with a piece of string. The sudden additional weight tipped Naruto forward and messed up his chakra control, and he cried out when he felt the soles of his feet slowly leave the rock face.

Then they peeled away completely. Naruto plummeted sharply. With a shout, he squeezed his eyes shut. He waited for the impact, the bone-crushing force and the dirt to flush into his mouth…

He was still waiting.

"Baka," a voice hissed above him. His stomach started to ache for some reason. "I finally catch up to you and… and _this_ is how you greet me?"

His eyes flew open. "Sa-Sakura-chan?" Naruto gasped.

She tightened her arms around his waist, making him want to retch out the nonexistent contents of his stomach. "Why do you always have to play hero, Naruto?"

"I-"

"Don't tell me _now!" _she howled, exasperated. "Get your feet back on the rock! You're _heavy!"_

"Ah! Gomen!"

Surprisingly, he hadn't let go of his clone's hand, and nor had the others. The chain was still intact and Katsu was moaning on the other end. Naruto carefully stepped back on the cliff wall, firmly gluing himself back on the rock. He moved very slowly, afraid that any sudden movement would jerk the chain and either break it or send Katsu face-planting to the side of the cliff.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Sakura.

"I'm on – you can let go now."

She didn't comply. "Naruto, it's starting to rain."

So it was. The back of his neck started to get wet and droplets of water slid down his collar, travelling uncomfortably down his spine. "Yeah, it's annoying."

"It's not that… it's getting harder to stay on. I'm barely managing it; I don't think you can."

"What do you mean? Of course I can. I can walk on water."

"I know you can…" Sakura bit her lip and pressed closer to Naruto's back. "But you were never really good at it. One wrong step and you'll fall… Naruto, you'll die."

He froze for a short moment. A trickle of water trickled down from his ear and slid down his face; he blinked it away before it could seep into his eye and momentarily blind him. The rain started to get heavier, and Sakura's breathing deepened in concentration. Her body shielded him from the downpour.

Would he really… die?

"What are you doing up there, boss?" a clone at the lower end of the chain yelled. "Hurry up! The kid's hurt and he's crying all over me!"

"Idiot!" another clone accused. "That's just the rain!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

The real Naruto twisted his head back so that he could see his teammate. One of Sakura's pigtails had slid over her shoulder and was brushing against his cheek. He grinned at her. "Don't worry, Sakura," he said. "I'll be fine. I'm gonna be Hokage, remember? I'll just go down and get the kid – I'll be back before you know it." The rock at his feet started to get slippery and he had to strengthen his chakra flow to maintain his balance. Like previous occasions, a single crack etched deep into the stone. Sakura noticed.

"Climb down with your hands, Naruto," she said. She winced and shifted her stance. "At least that way you're less likely to fall."

"The rock is slippery; I'll still have to be careful. Besides, we don't have the time and you don't have enough chakra for me to take that long." He silently congratulated himself on his quick thinking.

"At least you have a chance that way," Sakura argued. "I know your chakra control is better than before – I know you practice it every day. But please, Naruto, don't take the risk. I promise I'll hold on until you have the boy."

"But-"

"Naruto – please. I know I hurt you before," she appealed, her words turning him away, "but is it really that selfish of me to want you to stay alive?"

For some reason, Naruto found himself thinking of Iruka. The chuunin had protected him against Mizuki, had willingly placed himself in danger to keep him alive. Was Sakura doing the same thing for him now? She could easily be up on solid ground, at safety. Except she wasn't; she was hanging from the cliff with the weight of two people and two dozen clones in her arms. All because she wanted to ensure his safety. Not a lot of people acknowledged Naruto's existence like that; he didn't need to be a genius to figure out that the majority of Konoha's villagers would rather he be dead.

_She's only doing it because she doesn't know what's inside you,_ a dark voice whispered in the back of his head. _If she finds out… _She wouldn't hesitate to drop him in disgust. But she didn't know. Naruto wished that she never would, so that she would selflessly worry about him more.

Another outbreak of protests from the clones snapped Naruto out of his reverie. He turned back to smile at Sakura. "Alright," he relented. Her face soothed into relief.

"Thank you," she whispered.

They moved very carefully from there. Sakura edged over to the side, still holding up the real Naruto with one arm as the other reached for the first clone's hand. Naruto tried to lessen the weight she had to bear from him by clinging close to the cliff face, finding wet holds to slip his feet and hands into. He used a small amount of chakra to secure his grip.

Sakura visibly relaxed a little when she pulled back so that she also had one hand plastered to the wall. "It's easier without having to hold onto you as well," she explained when he glanced at the single-handed grip she had on the clone chain. After a short pause, she said, "Naruto, give me a shout once you have the boy – I'll go down there and help you get up."

He felt around for the next foothold as he asked, "Why are you so worried today, Sakura?"

Later on, as he was reaching out for Katsu, Naruto realised that she had not answered him.

* * *

Yasumagi was surprisingly sympathetic when Kiba lined the culprits up in front of him. He gently coaxed out the reason behind their motives, and even the fiery Daisuke was a little more mindful of his attitude when conversing with the tailor. At least, until Yasumagi took out a needle, thread and spare fabric to mend the patches on their clothing.

"Why are you doing this for us?" the boy demanded when the tailor moved onto him. "We stole your stuff."

"You had your reasons," the tailor replied. He used one hand to hold Daisuke's leg still while he threaded through the trouser's thin material with the other. "Survival is not a crime," he hesitated there, glancing up in uncertainty.

"Daisuke," the boy supplied warily.

Yasumagi nodded and resumed his work while the other children leaned in to watch with wide eyes. "Survival is not a crime, Daisuke. How long have you been living in these conditions?"

Kiba noticed how Daisuke's eyes flickered to the oldest of the girls. Thinking back to the brief introductions, Kiba recalled that the girl's name was Totomi. "Little over a year," he muttered, and the girl turned away.

Yasumagi remained oblivious to this. He had already finished patching one hole and was reaching for fabric to mend another. "And where did you and your friends live before this?"

"Kyokuji Gai." Akamaru nudged the side of Kiba's head and whined. Kiba nodded and quieted his companion. The two words seemed to have cast some sort of solemn spell amongst the children; they lowered their heads and some of the younger ones sought the elders for comfort. More noticeably, the Totomi girl stepped forward to hold Daisuke's hand, lowering her head.

Even more perplexing was Yasumagi's reaction. He visibly stiffened and started looking at each of the children with wide eyes, his gaze fused with shock and an emotion Kiba came to recognised as pity. "You're all…"

Daisuke nodded roughly, turning away. Yasumagi stared at him for a long moment. Feeling left out and confused, Kiba said, "Hey, what's with this Kyokuji Gai place?"

Daisuke flinched at his voice, as if just remembering that Kiba was there. Almost immediately, the boy was furious.

"What do you know?" Daisuke exploded, causing Kiba to blink in surprise. The small boy stepping forward so abruptly that Yasumagi's needle pierced his skin and drew blood. Daisuke didn't even falter. "You've been sheltered all your life! No, you grow up to become an honourable ninja; you've never had to suffer! Have you-" By now, Daisuke was pressed against Kiba, his eyes murderous, and his rant was broken off when the genin shoved him back. Momentarily stunned, Daisuke tumbled to the ground.

Kiba stood over him; the boy recoiled instinctively. But the genin didn't strike. "Being a ninja isn't easy, kid," Kiba said in a low voice. "Honourable? Honour is being cannon fodder in a war; honour is killing women and children just because a scroll told you to; honour is being a murderer protected by law." He was at the door before Daisuke could protest. "Don't think being a ninja is easy," he growled. He held the door open for Akamaru, and then reconsidered. "Stay here, boy; our mission isn't over yet." Then he slammed the door behind him.

Outside, he found Kurenai leaning against the wall, going over a map. She glanced up at him. "That was uncalled for, Kiba," she said quietly.

"Sorry, Sensei," Kiba said in a same growl. Then he noticed Kurenai's raised eyebrows. He grimaced and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Kurenai-sensei," he said in a softer voice, genuinely apologetic.

Her gaze softened. "Is this because of Takehiko?"

Kiba stiffened at the name. Kurenai interpreted this as an affirmative and went on. "He stood by his morals until the end. You should respect that, Kiba."

The genin's face darkened. "Morals don't mean crap," he muttered. "It got him killed in the end."

Kurenai's hand twitched as if she wanted to reach out for her student's shoulder. Indecisively, she lifted her arm. Then she dropped it again. She folded the map into her pocket and pushed herself off the wall. Kiba shook his head lightly and looked up at her. "Are you going to find Naruto and Sakura?" he asked, following her down the hallway.

"Yes. Based on what the boy, Daisuke, told us, I can work out the approximate area. I doubt they will have run into any major difficulties; they are probably just lost and waiting until morning to find their way back."

Distracted as she was, Kurenai failed to notice Kiba's intentions until they stepped out onto the inn's front porch. She stopped and he looked up at her, question in his eyes. "Kiba," Kurenai said lightly, "I want you to stay with Yasumagi Shinji."

Kiba frowned. "But I want to-"

"I understand that you are concerned about Naruto and Sakura. But it is raining and without Akamaru… I doubt you would be able to locate a scent even with Akamaru. You should give yourself some time to calm down."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kiba asked quietly. Kurenai noticed his fists. She sighed and rested her hand on his shoulder. He growled in surprise but lowered his head in shame after he realised his ferocity. "Kurenai-sensei, I-"

"Listen to me, Kiba," she said firmly. He closed his mouth. "Clinging to the past will not help you."

Was it just him or was her voice a little tighter than usual? "Sensei…"

Her mouth opened, as if she wanted to say more, but she closed it quickly. "We'll talk about this when we return to the village," Kurenai said. She moved her hand up to his head and turned it gently so that Kiba's eyes met her crimson gaze. "In the meantime, we are still on a mission, so you need to set aside your emotions and see this task to completion. I want you to return to Yasumagi's room and ensure his safety until I return with Naruto and Sakura. Is that understood?"

A small voice at the back of his head nudged him to disagree, but Kiba ignored it. He nodded. "Hai, Sensei."

She smiled. "Good boy." She ruffled his hair, and seconds later Yuuhi Kurenai was just a distant blur against the rain.

Kiba watched until he could no longer discern her presence from the shadows of the trees. Then he turned and walked back into the inn.

* * *

It had been Sakura's idea to find a place to rest the night rather than look for a way back. Naruto had disagreed, but after hearing out her reasons and testing them to the point that their discussion began getting a little heated, he relented. Sakura had been surprised by his lack of resistance in the end, but she wasn't complaining.

"Here?" Naruto called from his position ahead. Sakura quickened her pace slightly so that she left Takumi and Katsu behind. When she reached Naruto, she bent down and placed her hand flat on the soil. He hovered over her, unconsciously shifting his weight from leg to leg. "Well?"

Sakura shook her head. "The ground here is damp. Maybe a little further." The rain had lightened as they had begun their search, thinning as they ventured deeper into the forest's canopy. It wasn't long before the trees and their branches shielded them from the light drizzle, but Sakura wanted to be certain that they would not have to wake in the middle of the night to find themselves soaked.

Although looking disgruntled, Naruto nodded. His hands flicked through several handseals, and before Sakura could blink, he slammed a hand to the tree's trunk, shouting, "Soul Brand Seal!" The insignia glowed with excess chakra for a short moment, then cooled into the black outline of a familiar fox's head.

Naruto had been practicing this particular technique since Kurenai had demonstrated for them, Sakura knew. Yet this casting produced a projection that was almost as tall as the genin, at least three times bigger than the standard Sakura knew her blonde teammate had tutored himself into improving. As if he could interpret her unformed and unspoken question, Naruto explained, "Just in case we get lost and end up coming back. It'll be easier for us to spot in the dark if it's this big."

Sakura blinked at his ingenuity. "It can also help Akamaru find our scent if the rain stops," she added thoughtfully.

This time, it was Naruto's turn to blink. He rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't think of that," he admitted.

"Well, remember it for next time," Sakura said, smiling. She was almost shocked when Naruto grinned back. It seemed that the tension between them had eased up a little. Although she knew that he had yet to forgive her, Sakura wished that she could see more of Naruto's smiles. While silence was a blessing once in a while, it was strange to see Naruto's mouth in a grim slash.

The arrival of one of Naruto's clones disrupted the moment. "Hey boss, can we get going already?" it asked grumpily. "This thing isn't light, you know." After making sure that they were sealed from allowing rain to seep into the contents, Naruto had produced half a dozen clones to carry Yasumagi's cases. "Why work when someone can do it for you?" he'd said, and Sakura found herself agreeing.

Sakura tilted her head back to look at the small patch of sky that was visible to them through the thick canopy. Several stars twinkled back at her. "We probably should keep going," she said to the real Naruto. "It's getting dark and if we keep moving like this, even Kurenai-sensei will have trouble finding us."

"We don't even know if they're coming," Naruto pointed out, but he turned to command his clones regardless.

Sakura walked over to Takumi. "Is he okay?" she asked, gesturing to the smaller boy, Katsu, resting on Takumi's back. When she and Naruto had finally hauled themselves back to sturdy ground, exhausted, another complication had arisen. During his fall, Katsu had tumbled through several clusters of dead branches and one of the larger boughs had dislocated his left arm. The boy had moaned and cried for the past half hour until Takumi had soothed him into sleep. The older boy was unusually protective of Katsu, Sakura noticed. She had offered to carry the injured boy while they walked, but Takumi had insisted that Katsu was afraid of strangers. It had her wondering about their relationship; they didn't seem to be brothers by blood, yet they were as close as any Sakura knew.

Four more stops and marking seals later, Sakura announced their campsite for the night. While Naruto had grumbled about 'everything looking the same', the small clearing had passed Sakura's inspections in providing cover from both rain and possible ambushes; she had already noticed a particular tree that provided a view of the surroundings.

Naruto branded one of the trees, and then moved on to gathering discarded planks for their campfire. While he did this, Sakura tended to Katsu's arm. She had a small collection of herbs in her pouch which she crushed with the hilt of a kunai. The boy's arm was swollen when she pushed up the sleeve. It was then that Sakura realised just how thin both the boys were. It was obvious that they weren't receiving enough nutrition, but they were not exactly malnourished. It was a curious factor that the kunoichi made a note of.

"This numbs the pain a little," she said as she gently rubbed the green paste onto Katsu's arm. The boy winced and let out a small whimper, drawing Takumi closer. "Our sensei can fix this when we get back to the inn," she assured the older boy.

Takumi bit his lip. "Will we be punished?" he asked in a whispery voice.

"I don't know," Sakura replied honestly. "You should have thought of that before you decided to steal."

The boy's silence was his only reply. Sakura gently squeezed Katsu's wrist. "Does this hurt?" she asked.

"Little bit," he said tightly. She prodded higher up his arm, repeating the question. He shook his head. Sakura sighed and packed up her supplies. The numbing agent was doing its job and should continue to for most of the night. It would probably cause Katsu a great deal of pain the next morning but hopefully Kurenai-sensei would be able to do something about it by then.

There was a sharp cracking sound and a blaze of warmth heated up Sakura's back. She turned to see Naruto squatting in front of a small campfire, tossing aside a rock and pocketing his kunai. He grinned triumphantly. "It worked."

"You do know that there is a jutsu for that, don't you?" Sakura asked sceptically. As expected, Naruto stopped and frowned.

"There is?"

"Of course there is; they even taught it to us on a field trip in the second year of the Academy."

"Really?" Naruto scratched his head. "I dunno – I must have been away that day."

"Why?"

"Can't remember." He shrugged. "So how's the kid?"

Sakura glanced at the boys. "His shoulder is dislocated. I think we have to wait for Sensei to fix it."

Naruto looked thoughtful as he got up and walked over to their young companions. He lifted Katsu's arm, and then put it down to twist his own around. Sakura cocked her head. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

He picked up Katsu's arm again, overlooking the boy's frightened expression. "I haven't done it for other people so I don't know if it'll work," he murmured almost to himself.

Sakura joined him. "You know how to treat dislocated shoulders?" she asked incredulously. Naruto only shrugged. Then, suddenly, he gave a sharp tug. With a sickening crunch, Katsu's arm popped back into place. The boy bit down hard on his lip as tears of pain started to gather at the corner of his eyes.

Naruto glanced at him. "You've done this before."

"The herbs," Takumi began. He was promptly cut off by Naruto.

"I know about that. But he's got the look of someone who's had their shoulder put back together a lot of times. The joint was easier to slide into, too." Sakura found it disturbing to hear such observations coming from Naruto, especially to realise that he actually knew what he was talking about. "You've done this before," the blonde said again.

"We all have." Takumi turned sharply to Katsu. The smaller boy was clutching his arm and staring down at his lap, his lower lip trembling. "But they're not here, so they can't hurt us anymore."

Sakura frowned at the strange revelations. "Who?" she questioned. When Katsu didn't respond, she turned to Takumi. The older boy hesitated, and then seemed to shrug.

"Me, Katsu and the others came from Kyokuji Gai. It's a really small town in between Otafuku Gai and Tanzaku Gai." Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Naruto's clueless expression; he obviously hadn't been listening during class. "No one really cares about Kyokuji Gai," Takumi said softly. "It was a really poor place. The merchants were allowed to do whatever they wanted. They picked up kids from the streets and made them work for them, forcing them to do jobs meant for adults and not even paying them. All they got were food and a place to stay. Some of the younger kids were used as beggars to get money off the people who passed through the town. The older ones were taught to steal. The merchants got rich while the children starved."

Sakura found that she had a kunai in her hand. She stabbed it deep into the dirt beside her, making Katsu wince. "That's horrible!" she said furiously. She twisted the blade until half the hilt was pressed beneath the dirt. "No one has the right to treat children like that – doesn't the daimyo know about this?"

"I think they do," Takumi answered softly. "But it takes a lot of money to fix this sort of problem, so they just let the merchants do what they want."

Naruto, who had been silent until now, looked up to rest his gaze on the boys. "You and your friends were those kids, right?" he deduced.

As if the realisation had cut him, Takumi flinched. "I spent most of my time putting together carts and other sorts of furniture. Katsu was a beggar. If we didn't work fast enough or bring money back, the merchant would beat us. He did it in front of the other kids to teach them a lesson."

"But then Daisuke broke us out," Katsu said, smiling as if recalling a miracle. "He worked in another factory, but he must have been worked a lot harder than us."

Naruto nodded. "So this Daisuke guy is your leader?"

Takumi stared strangely at him. "Haven't you met him? You said you… oh."

"I lied," Naruto said unnecessarily.

"Is that what you were talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah." Naruto turned back to Takumi and Katsu, his eyes suddenly hard. "You guys are orphans, right?" They nodded uncomfortably. "You shouldn't have had to wait for Daisuke to get you out of that hellhole. You should have been strong and taken care of yourself, should have shown them that you could survive on your own. They can't get you that way." Sakura was surprised by the tone his voice had taken; it was distant, as if he was remembering something, and almost bitter.

"You're an orphan too?" Katsu asked, his eyes wide. Naruto opened and closed his mouth for a moment, comically indecisive. Just when Sakura felt like forcing his mouth to stay shut, he got to his feet and brushed himself off, casually ignoring the gazes that were trained on him.

"Hey Sakura?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any makibishi with you? I'm going to go see if I can catch us something to eat."

Sakura was suspicious of the sudden change of subject. She knew that Naruto was an orphan and lived by himself but she had never considered that he was so… sensitive about it. Wordlessly, she nodded and unhooked her equipment pouch from her belt, holding it out to him. "Here. There should be enough."

He clasped it on his other hip. "You have kunai and shuriken with you, right?" She nodded. "Okay then. I'll be back in a bit. Yell if anything comes up."

"Watch out for wild dogs."

He snorted. "I can handle a few dogs. Who do you think I am, Sakura?" Then he was gone.

Sakura grimaced and got up to poke at the campfire. _I don't know_, she answered silently. After a month as his teammate, she would have thought that she knew Naruto well enough to be able to figure out the kind of person he was. Until recently, she had thought that he was a loud, immature shorty with giant determination levels and a bigger crush on her. But if the boy she had just seen was Uzumaki Naruto, she probably didn't know him at all.

Sighing, Sakura sat back and pulled her knees to her chest, gazing deep into the flickering flames as she waited for Naruto to come back.

* * *

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Naruto asked.

"Aren't you?" his teammate asked back. Almost simultaneously, the two of them looked at Takumi and Katsu, who lay across the campfire, deeply asleep. "I still can't believe we went through all that trouble just to catch some children," Sakura admitted ruefully.

Naruto was surprised to find himself on neutral ground about the issue. He wasn't quite as angry as he thought he should be at the boys – after all, they had given him quite a chase. Was it because they were like him…?

"Naruto? Are you cold?" He blinked and turned to see Sakura's emerald gaze fixed on him.

"Nope," he said cheerfully, hoping to ease the concerned look on her face. "Just fine."

"Oh. I thought… because you shredded your jacket for Katsu's bandages… you're sure you're okay?"

"I'm a ninja; a little bit of wind can't get me down." Naruto gathered an armful of spare firewood and tossed it into the fire, watching as the flames licked at the side of the logs, feeding hungrily. "I wouldn't leave you without my clones to carry the stuff," he added.

Sakura winced. "That's not what I…" Her voice trailed off when she saw that Naruto was grinning. She scowled and muttered something under her breath before turning away.

Naruto's smile faded into a frown. He had been aiming to reassure her, not get her annoyed at him. Remembering how she had treated him before made him wonder why he was thinking for her benefit. She had hurt him, made it no secret that she just didn't care how he landed after she pushed him. Naruto's face darkened on the thought, and he had to turn away so that the shadows cast by the fire would screen his expression from Sakura's notice should she glance his way.

Something had been bothering him since the memorable episode with Sasuke, and Naruto had spent a lot of time brooding on it. Now he knew: Sakura shouldn't have been able to hurt him? Why? Because she wasn't the only one who had and all throughout his childhood Naruto had had to deal with issues much more difficult than a disagreement with teammates. Animosity, rejection – he'd seen it all. And the loneliness. Naruto couldn't resist a shudder. For a long time, he had felt like the only person in the world; everyone else were aliens that just did not accept him for who and what he was. It wasn't until two months ago that he discovered that it was actually the other way around; the others were normal – _he_ was the monster.

Having lived through so many conflicts, encountering people who hated him to the core every day, Naruto would have thought that a fangirl's obsessive behaviour wouldn't be able to harm him. How wrong he'd been. He didn't know why, but Sakura's words had hurt him. She had teased him almost every day back at the Academy; she had rejected him four hundred and sixty-three times when he had hopefully brought up a possible date; she had denied his offer to be his friend – how could she hurt him now with just a few words? Was it because he still saw her as the beautiful, serene girl he had a crush on? Or was it the fact that she was his teammate and should have been there to support him, not trample him to the ground?

Naruto was confused.

"Naruto. Naruto?"

He blinked and raised his head. "Hmm?"

Sakura peered at him. "I've been calling your name for the past three minutes," she frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Of course." The grin was back, showing itself too easily. Had he unconsciously forgiven her? Naruto experimentally summoned anger. Nope, still there; a tiny spark of flame that heated his chest uncomfortably. "What were you trying to tell me?"

She stared strangely at him for a moment, and then asked, "Since when did you know how to reconnect shoulder joints?"

He shrugged. "The old man taught me when I started getting hurt too many times. It's annoying to have to go to the hospital all the time."

Even when he had been a child, Naruto had been aware of his fast healing even if he didn't know the cause. He usually counted on his injuries being repaired by the next morning, but sometimes the wait was restless and painful. Young Naruto usually went to the Hokage so that he could get himself admitted for medical treatment. Not that he liked it that way. Some of the medic-nins were nice, some less friendlier than their sympathetic colleagues. In the end it had been Naruto who had requested Sarutobi to teach him basic treatment of wounds, just so he could avoid the hospital.

"You always got hurt?" Sakura's inquiry drew him away from painful memories. He turned to her, took a few seconds to process her question, and nodded.

"I was always a little clumsy," Naruto admitted. "Sometimes I fell out of a tree, sometimes I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I remember when I was six or seven, I was sitting at the restaurant I used to eat at before Ichiraku's when the guy sitting next to me – he had a wheelbarrow with him – just got up and started pushing the barrow away, and I got the whole thing tipped on me because the back of my jacket had caught on one of the boxes he had stacked on the cart." He grinned at Sakura's horrified expression. "I think that was the fifth time I dislocated one of my arms."

It seemed that Sakura had trouble swallowing. Naruto waited until she had digested that, but when she was finished, she didn't say anything. He grimaced as he turned to look back at the campfire. _Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Now she probably thinks that I'm-_

"You're an orphan, aren't you, Naruto?"

He was taken aback. "Yeah."

Sakura nodded. She hugged her knees. "Have you lived alone all your life?"

"I never knew my parents. Never will, I suppose." He looked curiously at her. "Why are you asking?"

This seemed to catch her off guard. Naruto cocked his head as his companion's mouth opened and closed in an attempt to grasp a response. "I-I just thought, from the way you treated Katsu that…" Sakura looked apologetic. "I'm just trying to understand what-"

"You don't," Naruto said harshly without thinking. "You won't."

Why did she want to understand what he'd had to go through? Did she want to know why his exercise books were filled with more childish sketches of a man and woman with varying styles of appearance than notes on their class work? Or did she… really care? Suddenly, Naruto's stomach squirmed uncomfortably, as if he had ingested ten rounds of cold ramen. "Sakura," he began remorsefully.

"I've done some thinking," she cut in quietly. Her expression was solemn and strangely determined. Naruto fell silent. "If we're going to be a team, we should get to know each other better. If we're always butting heads, getting mad at each other, we're not a team. Kiba's been trying to teach me that." She paused. "He said I should just tell the truth instead of trying to put my words somewhere else."

He winced. "Sakura, I…"

"You're right," she continued, "I don't understand. And like you said, I probably never will. I grew up with a family. I have parents that take care of me, cousins that sometimes drop by for visits, grandpas that need errands done on the weekends. I have a family. You don't. I just want to know what it's like to live alone, to have to take care of yourself." Sakura's bright green eyes locked onto his. "I just want to know what it's like to be you."

For a second, Naruto almost told her. Her concern felt so genuine that he almost spilled his life like a glass of water. Only instinctive self-restraint forced back the torrent and forced out something else in place of the original, truthful reply: "It's nothing special – just coming home to an empty house, making breakfast for one, no one to boss me around. It's cool. There's nothing to it."

Surprisingly, Sakura accepted his answer. "If you say so."

He hesitated. "Hey, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes?"

"You asked me a question about me, so I thought… can I ask you a question?"

She paused to consider. "Fine," she relented. "But nothing too personal." The warning flicker in her eyes told him what defined 'personal' in her dictionary. Naruto swallowed nervously even though he knew the words that would leave his lips next had a low possibility of offending the girl.

"Why did you follow me down the cliff?"

Naruto's curiosity increased as Sakura's spine stiffened. "You're my teammate," she answered slowly. "I'm supposed to back you up, aren't I?"

"That's it?" He couldn't brush off the feeling that she wasn't telling him everything.

"Yes."

Somehow, he wasn't satisfied. "Can I ask you one more question?"

She looked at him. She nodded.

"Why did you insist on getting me to climb down?"

"You would have slipped on the rock and gotten yourself killed; your chakra control isn't good enough to keep you upright on eroded surfaces – I'm not even mentioning the rain here."

Naruto frowned. So his chakra control was still a little lacking – but still… "Did you really think I was going to die?"

She pursed her lip. It was a while before she said anything in return. "It was possible."

"Were you scared?" he pressed.

"Do you even need to ask that?"

"Why were you scared?"

The pause was heavy and full of anticipation. "Because you're my teammate and… and you're a friend. I don't want you to die."

Naruto didn't understand the disappointment that shrouded his consciousness. He smiled anyway, nodding. "I'm hungry," he said abruptly. "Are you?"

Sakura blinked up at him in surprise. "You just caught us a rabbit," she pointed out. It had been ironic that they had shared a meal similar to the one Sasuke had caught that fateful day.

He shrugged. "I get hungry easily. I'll go look for something small to eat – maybe some berries."

"Don't eat them until you're sure they're not poisonous," Sakura cautioned. "And don't go too far."

"Yeah, yeah. Is this how mothers are like?" He had meant for it to be a joke to relieve the weight of their previous conversation, but Sakura froze.

"Naruto," she whispered. "I lied."

It was his turn to freeze. "What?"

"I was scared back there on the cliff. But not for you. I was scared… that you would die and I would have to live the rest of my life without your forgiveness." She hugged her knees tighter and gazed distantly at the flames. "I was being selfish."

Naruto looked at her for a long moment. Sakura had been saying very honest and disturbing things lately. It made him nervous, and he didn't know why. He didn't like it. Sure, she was a little nicer and more considerate of his feelings but… she also looked sadder. Maybe he wasn't the only one who had been hiding their true self.

"It's okay to be selfish," he said softly.

She looked up in surprise. "What?"

"It's okay to be selfish," Naruto repeated. "No one's perfect."

Sakura might have agreed, she might have not. Naruto didn't know – and probably never would – because she had suddenly frozen, her hands flicking toward the weapons pouch that Naruto still had. Her fingers groped air, and instead of confessions or agreements, she shouted, "Naruto! Look out!"

He didn't have time to see for himself, but he followed Sakura's gaze and leapt in the opposite direction of her focus. It was a good thing he did, because a whirl of leaves erupted near the spot he had just occupied. Snarling, he quickly yanked off Sakura's equipment pouch and tossed it to her, his hands flashing into seals as soon as they were free. "Kage bun-" He was interrupted by an iron grip closing on his left hand, pulling it away from his right. Startled but quickly recovering, Naruto reached for a kunai. He would teach the enemy that he was not to be underesti-

"I don't know if I should praise you for your attentiveness or lack thereof," came the wry comment.

Naruto's eyes widened. The leaves fluttered to the ground, unmasking the newcomer. The familiar wraps were the first thing he saw, followed by, as his gaze ascended, an outstretched hand with shuriken skewered on two of the fingers, and finally Yuuhi Kurenai's amused face.

"One of your shuriken went wide, Sakura," the jounin said, releasing Naruto with a small smile. "I couldn't get that one. But, seeing as I was effectively occupied with pinning down Naruto, you could have thrown the shuriken in a vertical line rather than the alternative." Kurenai tipped the weapons into the girl's outstretched hands. "Notice things like that next time, Sakura."

"H-hai, sen – next time?" Sakura looked horrified. A quick glance confirmed that Naruto was equally stumped. "Kurenai-sensei," she blustered. "We could have hurt you just then!"

Kurenai laughed softly. "I'm a jounin for a reason, Sakura. But I probably shouldn't have announced my entrance like that; I provoked you to attack, so I can overlook that. If a similar situation comes up, however, I suggest the two of you make observations before you act." Before her students could comment, she turned to the Katsu and Takumi, who had been woken by the noise. They huddled against a tree, intimidated by her presence. "Just these two?" she questioned of her genin, her voice taking on a more serious tone.

"Yes, Sensei," Naruto said hurriedly. He considered telling his mentor about their brief brush with death and gravity's wrath but decided against it, settling instead on a "They gave us a bit of a chase."

"I see," Kurenai murmured. She glanced at her charges. "Are any of you hurt?"

They shook their heads. "Katsu – the younger one – dislocated his shoulder," Sakura said. "But Naruto fixed it."

The way Kurenai turned her heard sharply to look at him made Naruto lower his own. He had the feeling that the jounin was gazing at him a strange way, but when he looked up again she was on the other side of the campfire, crouched in front of Takumi and Katsu. While he pondered, he was aware of someone else looking at him. He turned his head to see Sakura standing by his side.

"Naruto," she began, "I know you said that nobody is per-"

"It's okay, Sakura," he said. "Really, it is. I'm still a little angry, so you can cheer me up if it makes you feel any better."

She regarded him for a moment. "That's your clumsy way of telling me to get over it, isn't it?" she deduced dryly. He opened his mouth but she beat him to it. "Yeah, I get it. You didn't say it to offend me." His mouth closed, replaced by a small grin. "You know, Naruto, I'm beginning to regret not having known you properly back at the Academy."

Before he could ask why, Kurenai-sensei called for them. They were going back. Yasumagi's cases of goods had disappeared but Kurenai now had a scroll in one hand. It turned out that they hadn't been that far away from the inn in reality. Kurenai dropped Sakura off at their room, then Naruto at his and Kiba's, before she went up to Yasumagi's. Naruto hadn't had a chance to ask Sakura.

Kiba's relief was silently conveyed through complaints of 'missing out on the action' after he had forced Naruto to recount the details of the chase to him. Some of his grins looked a little strained, but Naruto dismissed it for the late hour.

"So Naruto," Kiba said later that night, when the two of them had clambered into their beds and switched off the lights, waiting for sleep to come. "What really happened in that forest?"

"I told you. Just jumped off a cliff, that's all." His eyelids were getting heavy. He was exhausted after the evening's events.

"No," Kiba persisted. "You and Sakura were alone for the night. And you didn't kill each other, so what happened in between?"

As Naruto's consciousness drifted, all he heard was their teammate's name. Sakura… he still hadn't gotten around to asking her. He really wanted to know; what had changed her mind about him? _I'll ask her tomorrow_, he decided drowsily. _Yeah… tomorrow…_

"Oi. Don't just-" Kiba cut himself off when he heard the other boy's light snoring. He chuckled. "Goodnight, Naruto."

* * *

A/N: I apologise about the late update. I got sidetracked by a plot bunny for a modern Naruto fic and it wouldn't stop bugging me until I had a bit of it down.

I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter; it seems to be lacking something. I was going to have this chapter be Team 8 returning to Konoha, but I figured that it would have been boring for a first mission if something didn't go wrong - nothing ever goes right in the Narutoverse.

This chapter was a bit more focused on Naruto and Sakura's relationship. It'll make it easier for me to write Naruto if he's at least not all that mad at her; a vengeful Naruto is hard to convey.

As you may have noticed, I hinted a bit with Kiba. It would have been unrealistic if he didn't have some complications throughout the story. More on that in later chapters.

Naruto knowing how to treat dislocated shoulders was placed there on a whim and to make things flow a little better. Don't take it too seriously. I understand that the Fox would have dealt with any injuries, but he was a kid during the most of it, so he couldn't have relied on it. Naturally, the Hokage had to do something.

Please review and tell me what you thought - as I can't figure out what is missing, I need your opinions.


	9. Team Dynamics

**Chapter 9 – Team Dynamics**

"Tell me one more time why they're coming back with us," Kiba grumbled to Naruto. His teammate gazed distantly at the band of children walking in front of them, huddled close to Yasumagi Shinji. They had taken a liking to the tailor and Yasumagi, strangely enough, reciprocated that fondness.

When Naruto had gotten out of bed this morning, he had found Takumi and Katsu waiting for him outside the room. They had bowed deeply in apology and although he assured them that it didn't matter, they went off on a rant about their situation, how they had been desperate when Daisuke had proposed thievery to them. They were wearing different clothes to yesterday – Naruto now knew that they were a gift from a generous young tailor. It made them look younger, smaller.

"Because Yasumagi-san wants to take them back," Naruto said in answer to Kiba's question. "You can't really blame him, I suppose. It's not like you could just leave them there if you were in his place." He shrugged under the Inuzuka's incredulous stare. "They're orphans," he added in a softer voice.

Kiba looked like he wanted to comment on that, but Sakura nudged him sharply, casting a warning glare that made him back down. "They went through a lot," she muttered to him, not looking at Naruto. "Those kids had to go through living in Kyokuji Gai."

"No one will tell me what that place is," Kiba said. "What is it? Sounds bad."

"_Is_ bad. Child labour and abuse."

For a short moment, there was strange expression on Kiba's face that Sakura could not comprehend. It was dark, twisted, as he glanced at Daisuke's band. It was almost as if he was remembering something – Sakura could only assume that it was _very bad_. Without taking his eyes off the kids, Kiba said in a flat tone, "The youngest one can't be older than six." He shook his head. "You don't know what to expect out of innocent bystanders these days."

"Kiba…?" Sakura prodded uncertainly. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Before she could inquire more, he started walking toward the back of the travelling group. "I'll go check on Naruto's clones, see how they're doing."

Something was wrong. Sakura could feel it. He had left behind Akamaru, leaving the dog to trot by her side. It wasn't like Kiba to allow any sort of distance to come between him and his dog. The pink-haired girl stooped to pick up the white puppy. Even Akamaru looked subdued and, if possible, worried. "What's going on?" she asked softly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Naruto turn his head their way and walk closer to them.

"Hey," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Kiba," Sakura said simply.

Naruto needed only a moment to observe their teammate. Even after only a couple of months with him, Naruto knew Inuzuka Kiba back to front, and there was certainly something different about his movements and the way something stirred in his eyes. "He is being a bit weird," the blonde agreed. He reached out to pat Akamaru's head. "You don't look too good, Akamaru. You worried about something?" The dog whimpered. "About Kiba, yeah?" Naruto wished he could communicate with canines the way Kiba did. Akamaru's whines and pawing at his fingers was as defined as gibberish. He got the main gist though; Kiba was upset about something.

"Naruto." He found Sakura's face close to his, her voice whispery and guilt-torn. "Do you think he's mad at us?"

"Mad? At us?" Naruto repeated doubtfully. "Why would he be mad at us?"

Sakura looked pointedly at him. "We left him at the inn yesterday, just like that. He must have been worried. Kiba acts tough, but we both know that he's a big softie."

For a moment, Naruto seemed to consider this. Could that be it? It wasn't like Kiba to be angry about something like that. Unable to decide, the blonde boy gently took Akamaru from Sakura's arms and placed the dog on top of his head, the way Kiba did. Akamaru, sensing the familiarity, loosened up a little. "'Kay Akamaru," Naruto said softly, just loud enough for Sakura and the puppy to hear. "You must know what's going on – Kiba tells you everything. Help us figure out what's wrong, alright? Bark for yes and whine for no. Got it?"

They walked a little slower, making sure they were out of earshot.

"Is Kiba angry at us?" Naruto questioning in an overly-hushed voice.

Akamaru let out a sound that was not quite a whine but definitely not a bark.

"That's a 'no', right?" Naruto deduced.

"I think it's more like 'obviously not'," Sakura said. At this Akamaru barked. Naruto grimaced and attempting to glare up at the dog, but his hair and Akamaru's lack of cooperation gave the gesture a comical effect.

Eventually Naruto settled, but only after he had earned a glance and raised eyebrows from Kurenai. "Is Kiba angry at _anyone_?" he asked of Akamaru. The dog was silent. "Ne, Akamaru. Say somethi-" His voice broke off when Sakura grasped his arm sharply, pressing a finger to her lips. Her eyes darted back to Kiba and Naruto gulped. Fortunately, their teammate did not seem to hear them.

"He really will be angry if he finds out we're investigating behind his back," Sakura said, releasing the blonde. "Finding out what's wrong won't do us any good then."

Although he grumbled, Naruto agreed with her reasoning. Turning back to the road, he muttered, "You're not trying to keep whatever it is a secret, right, Akamaru?"

From what Sakura could see, the puppy was on the verge of giving off an indignant bark, but as she watched, Akamaru settled and whimpered instead. Whatever was going on with Kiba, the dog was as concerned as they were. She told Naruto so.

Naruto ducked under a low hanging branch, going down lower than he usually would to ensure that Akamaru was not caught amongst the leaves. The greenery was thinning, making way for the urban settlements that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village. It wouldn't be long until the village came into sight.

"Maybe Kiba just wants to get home," he shrugged.

Sakura looked doubtful. "I don't think so."

"Then I dunno. We should ask him after the mission is over and see if it's not just some temporary thing." He nodded to himself. Yes, that would be the best solution. It was the thing Kurenai-sensei would do. Come to think of it, they could also ask the jounin to help…

The sensation of being watched pricked Naruto's senses. He looked around, scanning the scenery for an ambush, but he saw none and Kurenai seemed to be unperturbed. Then he realized that it was just Sakura looking at him, wearing a contemplative expression. He scrubbed at his face. "Why are you staring at me like that, Sakura-chan? Am I dirty or something?"

She shook her head. "No – you're cleaner than I've ever seen you."

Naruto stopped rubbing and cocked his head at her, confused. "Then what is it?"

"I was just thinking…" Sakura gave a small smile. "It's feels a little odd to hear you actually thinking about something before you make a decision. Usually you're much louder and just rush into everything. You've changed, Naruto."

For a moment, Naruto just blinked. "Is that… a compliment?"

"You can count it as one."

At this, Naruto almost stopped. Almost. He made sure his legs kept moving, and when his arms seemed to have frozen to his sides, he raised them to the straps of his backpack, fingering them. Up until a couple of months ago, Uzumaki Naruto had never been able to embrace something as distant as compliments as reality. Umino Iruka would give him a praising word or two, but they were more to motivate him to get to work than anything. It had been strange at first to hear Kurenai acknowledge his strengths and hand him spurring words of encouragement.

It was a peculiar experience to hear similar praise coming from Sakura – peculiar because Naruto had no words to describe the sensation that welled up in the depths of his being.

A high-pitched whine came from Akamaru, and the unexplainable emotion vanished. Naruto tilted his head back slightly and frowned. "'No' what, boy?" he asked, looking around. Kiba was still straying at the back of the group, his head lowered as he pushed one of the wheelbarrows along. A shadow clone could easily have volunteered to perform the task for him, but seeing as the other boy had declined its aid, Naruto supposed that Kiba needed to be doing something, like he usually felt when he had a lot to think about.

Akamaru whined again.

"Naruto," Sakura said slowly. He turned to her, finding her walking a metre further away from him than she had initially been. "That was a different sort of sound. It sounds like when Akamaru needs to…"

Naruto just stared blankly. Then he paled. "Ack! Akamaru, get off, get off!" He ducked forward in a desperate attempt to get the puppy off his head. Predictably, being Naruto, he overbalanced and his sandal caught under a raised root. He tumbled to the ground in a flurry of dust and dirt.

Akamaru leapt off the dazed boy's head and raced for the nearest bush.

Sakura leaned over her fallen teammate, exasperated. The last vestiges of the clouds of dust that Naruto had sent pluming into the air tickled her nose. She turned away from the blonde just in time to sneeze.

"Bless you," Naruto said sheepishly. He rummaged in his trouser pocket and eventually pulled out a grubby, scrunched up handkerchief.

"Thank you." She eyed the offered tissue. "And no thanks," she said wryly, though she took it anyway. She unravelled it, waved it about a few times to clear it from the fluff that had stuck to it, and then bent down to wipe at a muddy smudge on Naruto's face. "I think you need it more than I do."

For a moment, Naruto was hesitant and squirmed like a child under his mother's 'icky touch'. He stilled eventually, letting Sakura grab him by his hair to steady his head. She frowned as she scrubbed furiously at his face.

After a while, he started to get a little uncomfortable. "Ano, Sakura-chan? Are you done yet?"

She only shook her head, not altogether in response to his question, and stepped back, extending a hand to help him up. "Those lines on your face," she said. "They don't come off. I thought they were just temporary tattoos."

It took a moment for Naruto to realize what she was talking about. "Erm… no, they're not tattoos…"

Suddenly Kiba's head poked in between the two of them, disrupting Naruto's feverish thoughts. He looped one arm over each of his teammates, leaning heavily against them as if his legs had denied him the ability to stand. They were almost bearing all his weight, but Naruto and Sakura let him slump against them, knowing instinctively that, although the Inuzuka was grinning lopsidedly, rejecting him would produce nasty results. "Smooth, Naruto. Give me some tips when we get back?"

While Naruto looked confused, Sakura could well have hit Kiba. She really would have, if not out of consideration for his seemingly depressed mood… and her mortification. What had possessed her to nurture the knucklehead like that anyway?

"We'd better catch up to Kurenai-sensei and the others," she muttered, refusing to meet either of her friend's gazes as she shrugged off Kiba's arm.

She turned to follow the rest of the group… only to find that they had stopped and turned around and was staring at them. Kurenai's and Yasumagi's small smirks made Sakura want to scream. Blushing profusely, she walked stiffly ahead, ignoring the annoying sniggers from Daisuke and admiring gazes of the younger girls.

"That was… nice of you, Sakura," Kurenai murmured as her student passed her.

"Mou, Sensei!" Whining, now. "Not you too!"

Kurenai just smiled and planted her hands on the girl's shoulders, turning her to face the road. "Let's go, Sakura. We want to get back in time, don't we? I'm sure Naruto won't mind you neglecting him until the mission is over."

She scowled and allowed herself to be marched. "You're mean, Sensei," she accused.

Naruto blinked after the two female members of their team long after Kiba had chuckled and walked back to the wagons. What had Kiba said? 'Give me some tips when we get back'...?

Naruto frowned. He didn't get it. He smiled anyway.

* * *

Sometimes, if she tried to look particularly worn out, the Hokage would take pity on her and dismiss her without hearing her report, going as far as to say that he trusted her to complete the mission without fault and that if there was something he had needed to hear, she would have told him immediately. That hadn't happened since she had been assigned a genin team; there was nothing tiring about D-ranks when your students practically tripped over themselves to get the task done.

Only Yuuhi Kurenai's closest friends – a select few who had been present during the rare occasions where one Anko Mitarashi managed to get her drunk – knew that the jounin wasn't fond of mission reports. She knew they were vital to the village's management, but when you were the one running around and getting blood on your hands, you really didn't want to tell your leader how you had defaced a man, or if you were certain that you had undressed and searched through a corpse to find what you had killed for.

Kurenai would think that a week-long C-rank would usually excuse her of the formal reporting, but unfortunately, their client was present and it was not in question to plead for absence. But even if she could, Kurenai doubted that she would. Her students, lined up behind her, seemed to be particularly proud of their latest accomplishment. She would not demote their efforts for anything.

After a short intake of breath, Kurenai gave her report. Sarutobi occasionally stopped her to confirm details, particularly when she mentioned the theft. The Hokage regarded the genins with a crinkled smile when Kurenai explained their feat the way Naruto and Sakura had recalled to her. Kiba might have scowled and announced that he would have done his bit to conceal his own silent congratulations to his teammates, but he was too busy frowning at the floor and didn't appear to be paying much attention. Kurenai had only a brief moment to recall her previous conversation with the boy before the Hokage gestured for her to continue with her testimony.

"Children, you say?" he asked.

Kurenai nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama. They are waiting outside under the supervision of the chuunin guards."

Sarutobi turned to Yasumagi Shinji and politely waited for the tailor to explain. Yasumagi seemed to have prepared and rehearsed his explanation over the night, Kurenai realised, since he spoke clearly without hesitation and outlined his reasons thoroughly. It was clear that the Hokage sympathised with the tailor's outlook, but when it came down to business, Sarutobi was unrelenting and to the point.

"What will you do with these children?" he inquired of Yasumagi.

"I have not yet decided," the young man admitted. "Perhaps it was foolish of me to take them away from their familiar environment, but I couldn't bring myself to ignore them."

Sandaime grimaced. "Understandable." Kurenai had the feeling that the Fire Country's daimyo would soon be expecting a visit from the Hokage regarding a certain town.

"Until I find them a suitable home," Yasumagi was saying, "I propose that these children stay with me. I can provide them with shelter and food… it would be cruel to leave them in the hands of strangers; these children, particularly their leader, are very untrusting."

"Very," Kurenai heard Kiba mutter, though she had doubts as to who he was talking to, if he had been addressing anyone at all.

Thankfully, the Hokage overlooked the comment – Kurenai doubted that he had missed it. "I don't see reason why this arrangement would be unsuitable. Do you have any disagreements, Kurenai? After all, you were the commander for this mission."

"No, sir."

"Then it is decided; the orphans will be under Yasumagi Shinji's care until he decides otherwise. However, I will ask that you allow me to send someone to check on the children once a month for the duration that you are their guardian."

"Of course. Thank you."

As if released from the strings that came with being a Hokage, Sarutobi slumped back in his seat, smiling wearily. Kurenai was reminded of just how old he was and could now understand where Naruto had gotten his disrespectable nickname from. "Very well. Before we conclude, Yasumagi-san, were you at all displeased with Team Eight's performance?"

Kurenai's lips twitched into a smile as her students sucked in a simultaneous breath of anticipation. Yasumagi seemed to have noticed this too, for he smiled and held his pause for longer than necessary, as if to encourage suspense. "Not at all, Lord Hokage," he said smoothly. "I am very satisfied."

"Yatta!" Naruto whispered, in a voice louder than he thought it was.

For a task which involved escorting a client to the village, it was traditional that said client was present to see that the payment – which he or she would have sent by mail or other means to the village beforehand – was handed to their escort. Kurenai was handed four envelopes, and she silently broke the chakra security seal for her students before giving one to each of them. It was amusing to observe their reactions to the success of their first 'real' mission – particularly Naruto's – and again, Kurenai thought she could empathise with other jounin instructors a little better.

Sarutobi smiled at the children. "Team Eight, your mission has ended. Go home and get some rest. I expect you to return to active duty tomorrow."

"Hai!"

* * *

Sakura looked across the coffee table at her father. After going into brief detail about her first mission outside the village, her parents seemed to have come to a mutual understanding; her mother had retreated to the kitchen and her daughter in the living room with a hesitant father. "Alright, Dad," she said, when it was obvious that no one else was going to lead the conversation. "What is it?"

Her father's smile wavered. "Have you had dinner, Sakura? Your mother and I just ate but I'm sure she can make something for you…"

"Kurenai-sensei took us out to eat." It had been a surprisingly enjoyable meal, too. Under Naruto's insistence, they ended up going to Ichiraku's. Sakura thought it was fitting. Naruto had gotten Kiba to assemble himself in a more Kiba-like manner, and the two of them had been teasing each other good-naturedly throughout the whole meal. It made Sakura feel a little lighter to see her teammates joking and goofing around. She had been getting tired of the constant frowns.

As she was so absorbed in her reminiscence, Sakura almost missed the flash of sudden indecision on her father's features. Almost. "That's good," her father responded slowly. "I understand your mission was a success."

"That's right."

"Did anything…" he hesitated, "_happen_?"

Sakura frowned. "What do you mean, Father?" she asked, a little more seriously.

"Were there any… _supernatural _incidents?"

"Supernatural?" Sakura couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the word sounded coming from her father. However, when she ceased giggling and saw that her parent looked serious, if even a little upset, she quickly composed herself. "Sorry. No, nothing supernatural. We were attacked by a couple of foreign shinobi but Naruto dealt with them."

To his credit and her surprise, her father seemed more concerned with the mention of the blonde genin than the dangerous encounter. "Naruto? The… your teammate?"

"Yes. He's my teammate. The loud… well actually, they're both pretty loud," she mused, unaware of the darkening of her father's face. "The short one, I suppose. He and Kurenai-sensei handled the missing-nin."

"Do you have any problems with him?"

She blinked at that. "You mean Naruto?" He looked pointedly at her, as if she was supposed to _know_. She didn't. "Well, he's loud and he's annoying sometimes…" Thinking about to the mission, how she had uncovered more of him than she knew, she added, "but he isn't that bad. Naruto is… nice." Sakura looked up curiously at her father. "Why do you ask?"

The aging couch groaned as her father leaned forward. "You are satisfied with him being on your team?"

It was unnerving how solemn he was. Sakura could only nod. He was silent for a long while, his eyes focused distantly on something she could not see. Finally, Sakura uncomfortably interrupted, "Dad?" He looked down at her, lightly shaking his head. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no. No…" Again, the hesitation. "Sakura, you do know that your mother and I only want you to be happy, don't you? If you feel otherwise, please tell us. The… we need to know about it."

"Okay…" The conversation had taken a strange turn that Sakura did not appreciate. She understood that Naruto was a prankster and that half the village harvested a small grudge on him but it had never occurred to her that her own parents would be concerned about her teammate's behaviour. It was… odd.

She might had pondered more on the topic, but, like a flower out of sunlight, Sakura was suddenly very tired, and her half-hearted attempts to sort out the matter only resulted in her mother coming in to lead her to the bathroom to shower and prepare herself for rest. The warm water gushed from the showerhead, rubbing at the knots that were her shoulders like the hot spring at the inn had.

Through the fuzz and grey matter that was gathering in her subconsciousness, Sakura found initiative to smile. She couldn't muster a frown at the small leaves and particles of dirt that had caught in her hair during their time on the road but she could smile.

Team Eight's first real mission had been… how had Naruto and Kiba put it during dinner? Ah yes – a blast.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Kurenai was the first of her team to arrive at training ground twenty-seven. She promptly found a nicely-shaped branch amongst the trees and settled down in the shade, leaning back into the trunk, closing her eyes to allow them to rest.

She had stayed up the previous night to refine certain parts of her report. Kurenai was surprised by the rather harshly suggestive terminology she had used throughout the text – but when she had written it, she argued mentally, she had been a little more than disturbed by the fate that had almost befallen Naruto. Emotions such as those tended to cloud thoughts a little. She paid for her irrational moment though; Kurenai had lost count of the cups of tea she had drank while editing the report.

Thankfully, the Hokage had seemed not to notice anything unusual when she had submitted the file to him this morning. He had only briefly scanned the contents but his eyes had gradually narrowed as he flipped through the pages.

To his credit, Sarutobi had been very concerned. As Kurenai had suspected, he could not do anything of significance given the small details she had managed to record. He did, however, request that he be kept informed.

"Sasuke has been unstable since that terrible incident," the Hokage had sighed heavily. "I will instruct Kakashi to keep a closer watch on him."

Kurenai failed to mention that she had already advised the other jounin with similar caution. Instead, she lowered her head and addressed her superior once more. "I had the opportunity of meeting with Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin during my team's mission." While she had been searching for her two missing genin, to be exact. It had been Jiraiya who had appeared from the shadows and casually informed her that one of her students had cast several seals in the forest, as well as pointing her in the general direction.

At this, Sarutobi had demonstrated high levels of interest by leaning forward and smiling at his subordinate. "Ah yes. I had forgotten that he was apparently in the Otafuku Gai region. Did you two get along?" It was light-heartedly sarcastic; it seemed the Hokage was well aware of his former student's pastime.

"He had apparently already encountered my students before," Kurenai replied. She smiled faintly. "Naruto did not like him."

"They've met already?"

"Apparently, yes." She paused. "Jiraiya-sama informed me that he would be returning to the village soon. He has information to report to you."

The Third reached into his drawer and took out his pipe, which he lit with a small fire jutsu. "He is running behind schedule for that," he commented. "I will prepare for his arrival. Perhaps we should enlist Naruto's help in warning the female populace that he is returning." His light laughter was joined by Kurenai's.

"I'm sure he would be delighted to help." Sarutobi chuckled at this, nodding in agreement. "He told me that he would like to help train Naruto," Kurenai said in a more even tone.

"How did you respond?"

"I told him he was welcome to it as long as he had Naruto's permission."

The Third regarded her for a moment. "You are a very generous person, Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Naruto is Konoha's," she acknowledged. "He will become Hokage. For that he needs his connections and a wide array of techniques at his disposal. I would advise Jiraiya against Fire jutsu though."

It was an intense experience to be the sole focus of the respectable Hokage's attention. Kurenai stood firmly through it. "You believe that Uzumaki Naruto will become Hokage?" Sarutobi asked finally.

"Perhaps not with the tutelage he has been subjected to in the Academy," she said coolly, hardening her conscience when the Hokage winced at the light rebuke. "But I will help him. It is my duty as his sensei." Frankly, she wouldn't care if it wasn't.

The arrival of her team interrupted Kurenai's musing. The jounin allowed herself a soft sigh, rubbed at the tense muscles at her neck, and slipped down from the branch she had been lounging on. They came from different directions, informing her that they had not been together for their usual run during the mornings.

"Did everyone sleep well?" she asked. She was met with nods preceded by a chorus of morning greetings. "That is good. We have a mission today."

"But we haven't been to the Tower yet," Sakura said.

"I went to the Hokage's office this morning and he foretold me. Yasumagi-san requires our assistance to set up his new store. We have completed a similar task in Otafuku Gai. The only difference is that back there we were packing up – today we will be doing the opposite."

Naruto nodded and straightened his forehead protector. "Okay then. Let's go." He had barely walked two steps when Sakura grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Remember what Kurenai-sensei told us yesterday at Ichiraku's?" the pink-haired girl asked in a surprisingly patient voice. "Don't act until you have your commander's permission."

Blinking, Naruto turned to look at Sakura, and then at their mentor. Kurenai nodded, mildly amused. She watched as the boy rubbed the back of his neck in that all too familiar habit and grinned sheepishly. "I guess Sakura-chan's right," he said grudgingly, nimbly jumping away when Kiba thrust an elbow at his ribs. "What was that for?"

"I'm just doing Sakura's job for her," Kiba said. At his words, Sakura seemed to wince, and released Naruto. The Inuzuka boy grimaced, realizing that he had been insensitive. Akamaru slipped from his head into the subdued girl's arms.

Kurenai observed all of this quietly. It seemed that Sakura was coming to terms with her previous treatment of Naruto. The blonde had not understood the barb Kiba had unthinkingly tossed out, but he hovered curiously over his female teammate, gently trying to start conversation. Seeing that Kiba looked uncomfortable and keeping in mind that he was still recovering from the difficulties he had encountered during the mission, the jounin decided to step in.

"We have one hour before we are due for our mission," she said, drawing the attention of all her charges. "Until then we will do some basic training and revision of skills."

They nodded and seemed to stand a little straighter with the strings of purpose. She instructed Naruto and Sakura to a taijutsu spar. The two of them were good sparring partners for each other, whether they realized it or not. Takara most certainly had. Kurenai's teammate had tutored both of them in complementing taijutsu forms. With the varying structures and movements, it was difficult for Naruto to keep Sakura in a position long enough for him to attack her defences, and Sakura had similar difficulties landing solid blows during the many occasions that she penetrated his guard. Their training was not yet complete. However, as Kurenai had witnessed during one of their group spars, the two of them were two sides of a coin when paired together and unknowingly worked with smooth tandem.

Sakura grabbed her opponent's leg as it swept over her head and braced her weight back, kicking up Naruto's other leg to throw him up and over her. He rolled with the fall; on the second roll, he placed both palms on the ground and threw himself back into Sakura just as she was getting up, sending the both of them tumbling. She scowled, pulled handfuls of grass from her hair, and Naruto sheepishly extended a hand to help her up. She reached up and yanked on his shirt instead, causing him to lose his footing and fall face-first to the ground.

"No fair!"

"Wasn't supposed to be!"

Akamaru whined at Kurenai's feet and the jounin stooped to pick him up. Kiba shuffled restlessly. "Do you have something to tell me, Kiba?" Kurenai asked softly without looking at him.

"Sensei… I…"

"Your father had little freedom, but I am sure that his greatest decision lies in his moralities."

"I… I don't usually think about him that much," Kiba admitted quietly. "But after that mission, after what Daisuke said, he's been in my thoughts since then. It keeps bothering me… and now I think I'm taking it out on Naruto and Sakura."

"Why don't you try telling them? They may be able to help you."

"I don't think so. It's a… family thing."

"They are your teammates, Kiba. They _are_ your family." She looked down at him, her gaze serious. "You remember the first lesson I taught you, don't you?"

Kiba nodded. "Never lie to teammates, trust them," he recited. Then he hesitated. "But still…"

"The choice is yours, Kiba." She rubbed Akamaru behind the ears, and then settled him on her student's shoulder. The dog scrambled onto his head. "I hope you are aware that trying to deal with this by yourself will affect the team's dynamics. I trust you to make the right decision."

* * *

By the time Kurenai called for a halt, the three genins were sweating and reached eagerly for their water bottles. Their sensei had worked them through spars and sat them down to discuss combat formations as they cooled down. They had even tried a few of the strategical techniques; their movements were a little unguided and their structure could do with some refining, but Kurenai had promised that they would concentrate on their weaknesses the next day.

Naruto was pleased to be working with his teammates again. Their first C-rank had divided them – what with his and Sakura's dispute and Kiba's sudden… thing. It felt good to be training as a team, as friends. Unfortunately, almost as soon as Kurenai announced the end of their training for the morning, Kiba reverted back to the contemplative stranger he had become.

"I'm worried about him." Naruto jumped. He was not yet as startled to find Sakura sitting next to him as he was by the way she had taken the words out of his mouth. She interpreted his wide eyes as confusion and elaborated, "Kiba. Something's still bothering him."

"I know," Naruto said quickly. His teammate raised an eyebrow at him and he went on. "We'll ask him today, okay? After the mission."

She nodded. "That sounds good." Sakura pulled out a crumpled paper bag from her pocket and offered it to him. "Want some?"

It contained an assortment of sweets. He picked out an orange one. "Thanks." As he unravelled the wrapper and popped the small delicacy in his mouth, Naruto recalled a familiar taste as he sucked on it. Curiously, he opened his fist to look at the packaging and found that he recognised it. "Oh hey," he said, drawing Sakura's attention. He turned to her. "You brought these to training before."

"You're half-right." He blinked and she smiled. "Different bunch, same brand. Given from the same grocer, too."

"The weird grocer you and Kiba were talking about before, right? Why does he give you free food?" He sometimes got a free bowl of ramen from Teuchi if he ate a lot, but Naruto didn't think that even Sakura was capable of eating _that_ many vegetables.

"I met him when Kurenai-sensei gave us our first assignment." She twisted the end of the bag into a firm knot and placed it back in her pocket. "It's quite a long story."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto grinned, and was elated when Sakura smiled back. They were both playing dumb. Neither of them mentioned their disagreements – and probably never would again unless it was brought up. It was as if it had never happened. Naruto was still a little heated but it was hard for him to be angry at anyone for a long length of time. That would probably change when Sasuke returned to the village, but until then, and as long as Sakura treated him as fairly as she currently did, he would pretend that he had not a worry in the world.

After all, Uzumaki Naruto was very good at pretending.

Eventually, Sakura went off to entertain Akamaru; Naruto noticed that the puppy was almost as downcast as Kiba, as if it was wrong for him to disregard his master's pain. Kiba lay on his back by the edge of the field, his eyes closed as if he were napping. They still had a good ten minutes of rest.

Now was the best time to ask. Naruto approached their mentor.

Kurenai was filing a nick out of a kunai. She looked up. "What is it, Naruto?"

He sat down next to her. Her gaze followed him. "In that last mission," Naruto began, "it was raining. Sakura and I were on a cliff trying to save Katsu. It was hard. I think… if Sakura hadn't made me climb down instead, I really would have slipped."

"I see," Kurenai murmured, and it sounded like she did, as if she really understood. She put away the kunai. "It isn't a bad thing to admit that there are areas you need to improve in, Naruto."

He grimaced and started picking at the grass in front of him. "Yeah, but I don't want to just leave it there. I was thinking about it last night. Climbing took a lot longer than it would have if I could walk with my chakra. Sakura was holding up Katsu and my clones. If I had taken a little longer, she would have run out of chakra." Naruto's frown was deep. "She and Katsu would have died."

"And you would have survived," Kurenai said for him.

"Exactly!" Naruto threw the bits of grass to the side. "I don't want to feel like that, Sensei! I want to protect my friends, not… not have them die because of me." He saw Kurenai's brow pull together and quickly soothed his emotions. "What I'm trying to say is," he tried again, "I want to be able to do what I can't next time."

Kurenai looked into Naruto's eyes and saw it. He was afraid. Afraid of being weak. Afraid of failing. Afraid of leading his teammates to their deaths.

"Naruto," she said, and a sharpened glint of focus appeared in his gaze, "why do you want to be so strong?" Kurenai expected something pertaining to becoming Hokage, but it wasn't what she got.

"You told me that my teammates were my friends. I just want to be able to take care of them, you know?" Naruto shrugged; his shoulders looked smaller without the jacket that he had yet to replace. "And the villagers, too. If I'm going to be Hokage I have to make sure that I can protect them, right?"

Kurenai was glad that Naruto didn't have the sense to look at her for her reaction. She did not even know how to compose herself or her facial features at the moment. It was… heartbreaking to see a young child so selflessly yearning to defend those that abused his very existence.

Through all his hardships, Uzumaki Naruto just wanted to have the power to protect his home and the handful of people he considered precious. Kurenai could empathise with that. After all, had she not once aspired to, not necessary become Hokage, but become the guardian of the same things?

She had failed, and from that failure borne new aspiration: to ensure that another could shoulder those burdens and not fall short as she had. Naruto seemed to be capable of being that person. His heart was in the right place for it.

"We still have a little time," she said quietly, aware that Naruto had recovered from his slight daze and was blinking at her. Kurenai got to her feet. "Climbing slippery cliffs is just a variation of keeping upright on trees and water," she told her instantly attentive student. "I will show you an exercise that will help you refine your chakra control. Gather Sakura and Kiba. Bring them to the river."

His eyes widening at his teacher's sudden flare of unreadable emotion, Naruto hastily complied and went over to intercept Sakura as she ran after Akamaru. "Sensei wants us at the lake," he explained. "She's going to teach us something to help with our chakra control."

Kiba seemed to move with purpose after Naruto relayed what Kurenai had said to him. Both his teammates were silently relieved. It was… uncomfortable to deal with a gruff and contemplative Inuzuka Kiba. It didn't feel right. They would dig out whatever had him in such a state eventually. Naruto was particularly eager to have things return to normal. He missed Team Eight.

Their friendship was at a rather fragile stage at the moment. Even if he had to find a jutsu that could turn him into a binding glue, Naruto would not let his team fall apart. Everyone had their good and bad moments, right? Team Eight was going through a bad time in their lives, that was all. Why was he worrying? It was just like ramen – if he had to go a week without it, he would face his next serving with more gratitude than ever. Yes, his friends were like ramen. When they pulled through, they would be stronger than ever. Naruto liked to think that it was so. It was much less complicated.

Kurenai was waiting for them by the river. Naruto didn't notice that at first. He had his eyes fixed on the wide, dense plate of water that was hovering ominously over her head. He almost cried out in alarm, but Kurenai was a jounin and if she wasn't making a big deal of something even a genin could notice, Naruto doubted that there was real trouble. Akamaru wasn't barking either, so that erased any dangerous prospects.

"Through the walking on trees and water exercises, you have learned to control the chakra flow within in limbs," Kurenai began when the genins had gathered around her, staying clear beyond the water's wavering shadow. "Some techniques require you to expel the chakra outside your body."

"Like a Fire jutsu." Sakura grasped the concept quickly.

"That's right. This is an exercise that will help you get a better grasp of your chakra when it is no longer contained in your body." Kurenai paused for a short moment to take a deep breath, and then released the handseal.

The water cascaded down on her.

"Sensei!" Naruto yelped despite himself. His eyes widened as they watched the torrent of water glow, expand. What had been one mass began branching away into smaller threads, divided by the tendrils of chakra that swirled around Kurenai's body. The water parted so that he could see his mentor, and when he did he also noticed that she appeared to be dry. It was flowing _around_ her rather than _drenching _her. "Cool," he breathed, hearing his awe echoed by Kiba.

Slowly, Kurenai gathered the water into the same hovering disc over her head. "Who wants to go first?"

Naruto almost threw his hand up. Almost. "Sakura-chan," he said, nudging the girl. She turned to him, blinking out of the calculative mode her mind had assumed. "You've got a better chance of getting it right. You want to go first?"

She stared at him. It felt… nice to have someone acknowledge her capabilities like that. It gave her the sense that he was relying on her to set a good example for him, to show him how it was done. Like he trusted her. That and Kurenai's small smile, as if she had known this would happen, helped her decide in a matter of seconds. "Sure."

There was no denying that Sakura was a little nervous to step into the water's field and have it hovering over her instead of Kurenai. The woman noticed her anxiety. "Focus to maintain your chakra and bend it to your will," the jounin said. "Don't break your concentration." Kurenai waited until her student had nodded, and then stepped back and released the handseal.

The first time Sakura attempted to repel the water, she miscalculated the amount of chakra she should expel to keep from getting her clothes wet. She didn't necessarilyy get soaked, but as her chakra field was thin and didn't expand far enough from her body, her clothes became damp and she knew that she had failed. The second time she tried she managed to some effect mirror Kurenai's wisps of chakra, and emerged relatively drier than the first time.

Sakura wanted to try again but Kurenai, promising that they would keep practicing the exercise each day until they got it right, moved onto Kiba. They didn't have enough time before the mission for the technique to be perfected immediately. The jounin wondered what she had been thinking, now that she was reasonably level-headed once more. _Naruto's recklessness is rubbing off on me,_ she thought, amused.

Much to everyone's astonishment, Kiba managed to succeed on his first attempt. His clan's techniques had inevitably given him a good measure of chakra reserves and how much of it to use for the regular activities. He emerged completely try. What intrigued Kurenai most was that, after recovering from the shock of his success, Kiba tried a second time and ended up drenched. His concentration had broken and splintered his control on his chakra.

"Oops," he muttered after a while, spitting out a fountain of water from his mouth. "Lost it." He shrugged. No one asked.

"I'll dry your clothes before we go off to our mission," Kurenai said. Kiba nodded and started shaking water out of his hair, some of it landing on Sakura. She made a face and yanked the hood back over his head. He laughed sheepishly.

She had saved Naruto for last. He was the one who had brought up reason for the extra training and for some reason Kurenai felt a certain anticipation, expectations of some sort, from the boy. So she was disappointed when Naruto failed. Twice.

Kurenai sighed. "Leave it, Naruto. Try again later." They were due for their mission in less than five minutes.

But Naruto didn't move. He frowned at his hands as the last vestiges of water trickled out between his fingers. "One more time, Sensei?" he asked pleadingly. "Please?"

It was those eyes. They made it hard to refuse. Kurenai nodded and flicked her hand, drawing the water into the now familiar disc above Naruto's head.

Naruto's grim determination was washed from view by the makeshift waterfall. Kurenai hesitated to pull the water away directly afterwards. Her intuition that warned her that _something_ was going to happen. Behind her, Akamaru barked once, twice, and then whimpered and scampered to seek comfort by wounding himself around Kiba's legs.

The cocoon of gushing water began to glow.

"Back," Kurenai murmured. Sakura and Kiba hastened to comply. They took shelter behind the trees, and had just managed to hide behind the trunks when Naruto's water shell exploded.

Water flashed like darts through the air, some even denting and tearing bark from the trees. Kurenai's eyes widened. When the watery assault seemed to have ceased, she moved in to check on her student. "Naruto!" What effect would the demon's chakra in a situation like this? Kurenai prepared herself for the carnage.

She stopped short of the rapidly spinning orb in the centre of the field. It was almost spherical in form, bright vines of chakra swirling in its wake. Kurenai felt a rush of wind, heated by friction. No excess water besides that of the lake was visible and the immense chakra was slowly sinking a crater in the loose earth.

_That is…_

"Hey," Kiba said slowly, cautiously emerging from his cover. His head was cocked in thought. "That looks like one of the Hyuuga techniques my mom told me about…" Akamaru whined.

When the chakra finally dissipated and Naruto was visible to them, his clothes were no longer soaked. And he was grinning. "Does that count as a pass, Sensei?"

Kurenai's trained eye studied the boy. He did not appear to be harmed in any way. "Naruto, were you spinning when you expelled the chakra?"

He stopped smiling at his teacher's sharp tone. Naruto would have cringed in fear of angering his teacher somehow, but Kurenai didn't seem to be mad. "Um… no?" he answered carefully. He and his teammates were staring at their mentor while she lapsed into thoughtful silence. Naruto tentatively cleared his throat. "Uh, Kurenai-sensei, is… is something wrong?"

Her gaze seemed to soften as it focused on him. Naruto was quietly relieved when Kurenai spoke again; he had forgotten how bad it felt to think he was in trouble. "We will continue on this exercise until you can perform it without…" the corner of her mouth twitched, "using so much chakra and drawing needless attention. Until you can do that, Naruto, do not use that technique outside training unless you have my permission."

Naruto frowned. Why couldn't he use such an awesome move? It could become a jutsu on its own if he could learn to use it without the water. Such a waste… _Kurenai-sensei has her reasons_, he told himself. He had to trust her judgment. Kurenai-sensei was always right. "Okay," he said grudgingly. The grin returned as he scratched the back of his head. "Too much chakra, huh?"

"_Way_ too much chakra, idiot," Sakura admonished. She didn't raise a hand to wallop him as she normally would have, instead reaching down to help her teammate out of the crater his chakra had made.

Kiba held out his hand as well. "Kurenai-sensei is right though," he said seriously as he and Sakura braced themselves against Naruto's weight. "You don't want to get in trouble using that chakra thing in front of other people."

"Why?" both of his teammates asked.

He shook his head. "It's a clan thing."

Naruto's eyes widened, and then promptly began bugging the Inuzuka for more details. Kiba refused and ended up with an eager Naruto on his tail and an annoyed Sakura yelling after them.

Kurenai watched all of this with a smile despite the many things that could go wrong after today's revelation. She wasn't one to make unsupported pretences but she was fairly certain that, Hokage or not, Uzumaki Naruto would grow to become a great ninja.

* * *

It had slipped Sakura's mind that, as Yasumagi was now their temporary guardian, Daisuke's band of orphans would be hanging around in his shop. So when she found a pair of the youngest children running circles around her, playfully using her as a shield for their game of Tag despite her protests, the box she had been carrying ended up slipping from her hands.

And onto her foot.

"OW!"

The children obliviously ran off to another part of the shop, past Kurenai where she was assembling a clothes rack. The jounin lifted her head as they passed and she eventually noticed her student sitting by the entrance, nursing her foot. She raised an eyebrow. "Slacking off, Sakura?" she asked innocently, laughing when Sakura grimaced and made a face.

At that moment, Naruto walked in with his own box, blinking at his teammate and the moody hisses she elicited. "Ano sa… what are you doing down there, Sakura-chan?" Then he noticed what she was fuming over and leaned in for a better look. "Is something wrong with your foot? It looks a little red."

"That's what happens when – ah!" Sakura was suddenly aware of how close Naruto was. "Naruto! What kind of boy looks at a girl's foot like it's a painting?"

He drew away. "Sorry," he said, and then went off.

Sakura stared after him, biting her lip. Her words had come out louder and harsher than she had intended. From the way he had left so abruptly, Naruto must be upset at her. Again. She sighed and got off the box, gingerly placing her injured foot on the ground. How did she always manage to get herself into situations like these?

Just as she was leaning over to pick up the box, another pair of hands beat her to it, practically snatching it away before her fingers could even brush the cardboard surface. "You shouldn't be doing heavy work if you're hurt, Sakura."

She looked up to see Naruto hefting the box in his arms. The knot that had twisted in her stomach unclenched when she saw his easy smile.

Before she could try to apologise for her outburst, Naruto grinned at her and asked, "Where do you want these again?"

He didn't sound angry but she had her doubts about how he really felt. "Just put them over there. I'll put them up when Kurenai-sensei is finished with the racks." She directed him to a corner where the other boxes containing pre-tailored trousers were. As Naruto set down his load and brushed off his hands, Sakura hovered over him, almost bumping into the blonde when he straightened. She grabbed his arm before he could walk away. "Naruto."

"Hm? What's up?"

"Sorry I shouted at you just then."

Sakura was crestfallen to see something flicker in Naruto's eyes; she had been right – he was upset. But he was grinning, if a little brighter than before. "Don't worry about it; I get cranky when I hurt myself, too. You just have to be careful."

"You aren't mad?" Sakura had to make sure.

"Nah. I'm a gentleman, remember?"

She felt sighing in relief. Sakura never thought that the day she found Naruto's goofy grin assuring would come before the world ended. She was glad that it did.

"I'd better go help Kiba," he was saying. "He and Yasumagi-san have a big table to carry." Naruto shrugged. "I wonder why Yasumagi took his things home rather than ditch them here to begin with."

"It's hard to set up a shop when it is crowded."

"Oh. Right."

"You were going to give Kiba a hand, weren't you?"

"Oh yeah, I was. See you later, Sakura-chan."

Sakura found herself smiling as she watched Naruto run off. Things were stabilising between the two of them. Now, if they solved Kiba, Team Eight would finally feel whole again.

* * *

They managed to corner him after Kurenai let them out for lunch while she 'addressed certain matters' to the Hokage. Not that Kiba realised this, as Naruto was treating him to ramen. Akamaru seemed to be aware of his master's fate but, less out of treachery than it was concern, he kept quiet.

Therefore, Kiba was unprepared when Naruto jumped the question on him. "Something hasn't been right with you lately, Kiba. Wanna tell us what's wrong?"

Kiba stopped in the middle of lifting the bowl to his mouth. After a short pause, he tipped up the bowl to drain the broth, glancing at Naruto and Sakura's bowls as he did so. They were finished and the Inuzuka recalled now that Naruto had had only two bowls. _That should have sent bells going off_, he thought with a shake of his head. They had been waiting for him.

Kiba licked his lips as he set down the bowl. "No."

"Don't close up, Kiba," Sakura pleaded. He couldn't even get up and leave, since they had pinned him in the middle of their seating arrangement. "Tell us what's bothering you. Maybe we can help."

He almost laughed. 'You can't." What had Kurenai-sensei said? _'Why don't you try telling them? Maybe they can help.'_ Easier said than done. _Much_ easier said than done. He had been harbouring it for so long that he sometimes forgot it was there.

It was no good. Kiba laid down his chopsticks and got up, stirring Akamaru from his perch by his feet. Naruto grabbed the back of his teammate's jacket. "How do you know if you haven't tried?" he challenged.

"Mind your own business, Naruto."

He growled. "It _is_ my business!" he said, hissing at a volume Teuchi and Ayame could not detect. The two of them had wisely disappeared into the back of the stand, leaving their only customers to their own matters. "It's Sakura's, too! We're a team! We stick together." His eyes narrowed. "Or don't you want to be our teammate?"

Kiba stiffened. _'They _are_ your family.'_ If he could open up to Kurenai, why couldn't he…

"Please, Kiba." Sakura's voice was small and plaintive, just like the hand clutching his.

'_I trust you to make the right decision.'_

What _was_ the right decision?

Kiba sighed and sat down again. "It's nothing big, guys. Just something I haven't been able to get out of my head lately. I'll be fine in a few days. Can't you just leave it?"

No, they couldn't. Their pointed stares made it clear that Kiba would not be going anywhere without first providing a satisfactory explanation.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands. It was as if the shadows had gathered and pooled in his eyes. "My dad wasn't an Inuzuka." Sensing his master's silent emotions, Akamaru crawled into Kiba's lap and curled up. Naruto and Sakura were listening so intently that it was unnerving. "He was a Mist nin."

Kiba paused to give them time to gasp and arrange their features into disgusted snarls. He didn't dare look. "His dad, my grandfather, was the ambassador for Mist. Back at that time, Leaf and Mist were trying to settle on a treaty. Iruka-sensei even told us about it in class, remember?"

Naruto didn't but Sakura nodded. She refrained from recalling Iruka's lecture for her inattentive teammate, gesturing for Kiba to continue. They needed to hear this.

"As a show of trust," the Inuzuka boy said flatly, "my grandfather offered my dad for an arranged marriage with one of Konoha's clans. The Hyuuga and Uchiha didn't want him, of course. Thought he was trash," Kiba spat out the last word bitterly. "Inuzuka offered to take him. That's how my parents met.

"My dad became a Leaf nin. He wasn't the sort of guy who liked fighting. The other Leaf nin picked on him because he was from the Bloody Mist. They hated the Mist, hated the treaty. Hated my dad because he just wanted to be a normal guy with a normal life."

He didn't think that he would be telling anyone outside his clan of his father – but he was, and now that he had started he couldn't stop. He had been six when he made his mother tell him, curious about the father he'd never met. At times like these, he wished he hadn't asked.

"They gave him the crap missions. Sometimes it was collecting garbage; others it was going out to kill. He shouldn't have been doing missions like those; he was just a chuunin. The Hokage didn't know about it, or he might have done something. But my dad didn't complain. He didn't say anything. And six years after he came to Leaf, the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked."

Naruto winced. He could almost hear it. _'The demon killed-'_

"My dad actually survived the demon attack!" Naruto blinked as Kiba slammed his fist against the counter. Thankfully, Teuchi didn't come out to investigate. "He only died because some biased idiot sent him off on an _A-rank _assassination. To the Mist – 'home', they said. And you know who he had to kill?"

His companions waited with less anticipation than usual. Even Naruto knew it was something bad.

"A woman and her kid. Because they had run away from Konoha and were considered spies from Mist." By this point, Kiba's hand was fisted so tightly that his knuckles were white. "My dad didn't want to kill them. He hesitated because he didn't want to leave the kid without a mother. He was thinking too much; the boy wasn't even her son. The Mist had been trying to catch him alone on a mission a few times; they wanted him dead. He had talked about their secrets to the Leaf when they asked him for it. Traitor because he helped the country they gave him to. The woman was a Hunter-nin of theirs. She killed him."

Sakura made to reach for him but seemed to realise that it wasn't what her friend needed at the moment. She retreated, her hands twitching.

Kiba laughed hollowly. "Useless way to die, huh? Some people even say that the treaty was broken because of him. Apparently my dad, the man who couldn't even kill a kid, he's the cause of war. He's the traitor on both sides."

"That's horrible," Sakura whispered. She expected Naruto to offer similar sympathies, but the blonde's expression was unreadable.

"When Daisuke said that ninja were honourable and protected, I felt like strangling him." Kiba chuckled. He reached for his cup of tea and washed down his darker emotions with it. "Now you know why. I'm the son of a Mist nin. The son of a traitor."

Naruto stared at his teammate. "That's nothing to be moping about," he told Kiba in a low voice.

The larger boy sat a little straighter. "What'd you say?"

"It doesn't matter who or what your father was. Even if your dad was the Hokage it wouldn't have mattered. You are Inuzuka Kiba."

"Hokage?" Kiba scoffed. "If my dad had been Hokage he wouldn't have been sent to his death!"

"But he is dead, isn't he?"

"Of course he is! What kind of question is that?"

Sakura looked nervously from one teammate to another. Why did it sound like they were fighting? "You two-" she began.

Naruto ignored her. "Your dad is dead, Kiba. You can't bring him back. There's no point thinking about how unfairly he died."

Suddenly, Kiba slumped dejectedly. Wasn't this what Kurenai had told him? Why did it sound so different coming from Naruto?

"You both have your own lives," Naruto continued quietly. "Your dad's is over, but yours isn't. Don't waste it crying about something you can't change. Right?"

Sakura blinked. _Is that even Naruto?_

Kiba hung his head. It took him a while to find his voice. It was hoarse. "We missed the morning run today."

"That sounds more like Kiba," Naruto approved, slapping the other boy's back. The serious demeanour had vanished, and neither of his companions could even be certain that it had been there at all.

Sakura beamed. "We'll run tomorrow," she promised. "Together."

It took a while for Kiba to lift his head. When he did, put his arms around his teammates and squeezed their shoulders, almost dragging them off their stools.

"Yeah… together."

* * *

"Ah, you're back." Sarutobi smiled at his jounin. He blew out a thin wisp of smoke from his pipe. "What would you like talk about, Kurenai?"

She had heard that line many times and declined it just as many; Asuma just didn't have his father's charm and authority for it to attract her into answering. "Naruto is an extraordinary genin."

"Hmm? Naruto?" Interest, familiar at every mention of the young demon container, stole into the Hokage's words. "What prompts you to make such an observation?"

"This morning, I was showing my team the repelling water exercise to improve on their chakra control. Sakura and Kiba performed mostly to my expectations but Naruto…" Kurenai fought to retain the straight, formal expression she had prepared for these occasions, "he created something very close to a chakra shield."

The Hokage chuckled. "He is always biting off more than he can chew." He nodded, gesturing for Kurenai to continue. It was doubtful that she had sought his company merely to inform him of Naruto's lacking chakra division skills.

"I thought you might want to be aware that Naruto's variation of this technique resembled the Hyuuga clan's Hakkeshou Kaiten."

There was a long pause. "Please explain."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." She had already prepared the details beforehand. "On appearance, it is almost a flawless, if a little amateurish, replication of the Heavenly Spin. However, the productions of the technique are different. The Hyuuga need to rotate on the spot to maximize the deflection abilities of their shield and maintain its solidity. Naruto told me he did not spin."

Sarutobi nodded, stroking his goatee. "Understandable. The demon fox's chakra is dense enough to produce such effects. I understand your concern. The Hyuuga are very prideful and protective of their clan's jutsu."

"I instructed Naruto not to use it without my supervision and permission."

"That is the wisest thing to do," the Third approved. "It makes sense that Naruto would accidentally stumble across something like this; the Kaiten, when used for defensive purposes, does not require the Byakugan."

"I came to the same conclusion. However, even if the Byakugan was required, I doubt Naruto would have let that stop him if his mind was set on it," Kurenai added wryly.

Sarutobi laughed. "Indeed. Monitor his progress with his… we should probably call it the 'chakra shield', shouldn't we? Yes. Monitor his progress with his chakra shield and inform me if there are changes." He chuckled. "Or if he wakes up overnight with the Byakugan."

Kurenai found herself smiling. "It's just like Naruto to get himself into situations like these."

"He wouldn't be Uzumaki Naruto if he didn't."

* * *

Inuzuka Hana, like all that came from her clan, had very good senses. She could feel that her little brother had gone through a slightly different sort of day than usual. All throughout dinner, Kiba had been suspiciously silent, but when Hana looked up, she would find a hidden grin on his face. Her misgivings rose when he voluntarily rose to help her stack the dishes after the meal.

She didn't understand boys at all.

"Here are the last ones." Hana moved so that Kiba could drop the dishware into the sink. She raised an eyebrow at him but he just gave her That Grin and walked around to wipe down the dishes she had already washed.

She shook the soap off her hands and her fingers formed the familiar seals. "Kai," she murmured, but the only thing that shimmered and wavered was the soapy water.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked, blinking at her.

"Checking if this is a genjutsu," she replied. She picked up the sponge again.

He stuck his tongue out and flung water droplets at her. Without looking, Hana sent out a pulse of her chakra and repelled the assault. Kiba made a face. "Kurenai-sensei taught us how to do that today," he bragged. "I can do it too. I'd show you but I don't want to mop the floor."

"More like you can't do it," his sister scoffed.

"Can too!"

Hana rolled her eyes and shoved a wet plate into his hands. To her surprise, Kiba complied and wiped it dry without complaint. "Something's different about you today," she declared.

He reached for the next piece of dishware before she had the chance to soak his shirt again. "Hey Nee-chan?"

She noticed the change of tone in Kiba's voice but made no indication that she had. If there was one thing she knew – and understood – about the opposite gender was that they tended to twist the truth into something unrecognisable when they thought you were actually listening. Especially if they were talking to a girl.

"What was Dad like?"

Her hand slipped. The plate sent water splashing over their fronts. Hana didn't repel it this time. She was aware that Kiba was staring at her as she wiped her face dry and tossed him a paper towel to do the same. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Probably because their mother was on a mission; they never talked about their father when Tsume was home. But even then, Kiba rarely asked about the man he had never known.

Presently, her brother shrugged. "Just curious. I don't even remember how he looks like."

"I showed you photos before."

"Yeah, but it's different."

It was. Every time Hana flipped through the family album and saw Aikoto Takehiko, she found it hard to match it to the man who had chased after her in the fields when she had been a child. Her memories of their father were faint and blurred with age, but Hana had always remembered Takehiko as a man with a sad smile and a gentle touch. She told Kiba so.

He frowned. "Did he… you know."

Hana sighed. Boys could never say that word. "It might have been hard for Dad to love Mom because of the arranged marriage, but I'm sure that he loved us. He loved _you_, Kiba. You were only three months old when he died so you wouldn't remember him. His smile was happier when he was holding you."

"Were his smiles sad?"

She scrubbed harder at a stubborn spot of sauce. "Sometimes. He always tried to hide it."

Kiba was silent for a moment as he considered this. "Do you think Mom loved him?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask her."

"I'm not that crazy."

"Just checking," she smiled. "Before Grandmother passed away she told me that Mom and Dad had met on a diplomatic mission before."

"Really?" Kiba's eyes were wide. "So they knew each other before he came to Leaf?"

"I suppose. Maybe they were friends." Hana handed her brother the last dish and pulled the plug to let the water drain away. She watched the soap suds gather at the bottom. "You're asking too many questions to hide behind the curious excuse, Kiba."

He began busying himself with putting the plates and bowls in the cupboard. "I've just been thinking about him lately."

"Why? You usually don't."

"Long story."

"Should I bother listening?"

"Probably not."

"Alright. Anything else I should know?"

"Don't think so. No wait, I nicked a few of your kunai."

Hana squeezed her brother's shoulder. "_Kiba_."

Slowly, his head emerged from the cupboard. He starting wiping down the counter. "I told my teammates about him today. They asked."

So her brother had dug up the courage to talk about their father. Hana didn't have that strength, and even if she did, she doubted she would be able to tell her team. Kiba didn't remember their father, but she did. Her memories of him were sacred and treasured. Telling outsiders would taint those faded images. But Hana was glad that Kiba hadn't kept his concerns to himself. She knew that there was only so much she could do for him as his sister.

"And?" she prompted gently.

Kiba shrugged. "They're okay with it. Naruto told me to stop thinking about it."

Hana drew in a sharp breath. "Stop thinking about Dad?"

"Not Dad. Who he was."

"Oh." Hana had never delved as deeply into Takehiko the Mist nin as Kiba had. Her brother had been deprived of a father from the beginning and he had made it a personal quest to seek out all he could gather of him when he had been a child. Back then, Tsume had been obliged to provide details, but Hana didn't remember them clearly. She didn't care. Aikoto Takehiko was the Mist nin who had been forsaken by his own father, the Leaf nin no one wanted. Dad was a man who loved his children and endured a harsh life for them. They were two people.

She hadn't thought that Kiba had considered it differently. How long had their father's past bothered him for? Hana felt… well, she felt like a bad sister. She was supposed to notice this sort of thing. But Kiba was always laughing, always mucking about. He looked happy. Hana hadn't looked underneath the underneath.

"Maybe Naruto's right," Kiba was saying. "It doesn't matter what Dad was. I'm his son. That's all that matters, right?"

She swallowed thickly and ruffled Kiba's hair, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. He didn't even squirm. "Right," Hana whispered. "Dad is Dad. Even if he hadn't come from Mist, he's still our father. You don't need to think about anything else, Kiba."

He nodded. "Guess so." He drew back and glanced up at his sister. "We'll be running with you again tomorrow morning. Don't think we're slacking off."

Hana grabbed him in a habitual headlock. "Never did," she chuckled. Kiba yelped for Akamaru's support – which the puppy ignored – and struggled, trying to reach the crook of her elbow where she was ticklish. She didn't even give him a chance. "You haven't taken a shower yet, have you?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

Kiba grinned. "Nope."

"Pig."

"Bitch."

"Thanks." Hana paused, and in that moment Kiba managed to break free. He stumbled away from her, eventually bumping into the open cupboard and dislodging the frying pan from its perch. She caught it before it clattered to the ground and disturbed the dogs, but not before it raised a bump on Kiba's head.

"Why didn't you catch that for me?" he demanded, rubbing the sore spot.

Hana placed the pan back where it belonged and closed the cupboard door. "Because I can heal it if you stop moving around," she answered, prising his hands away so she could place hers on his head.

"I'm not an animal."

"Really? I had no idea."

"Bitch."

"Mutt." Her hand was enveloped in a healthy glow and Kiba's shoulders unclenched a little. "You have good friends, Kiba."

He grunted.

"Be nice to them. Keep them safe."

Kiba rubbed his head after Hana had pulled her hand away. "You don't have to tell me that. I know. I will. I'm an Inuzuka, after all."


	10. Surprise, Surprise

**Chapter 10 – Surprise, Surprise**

Kiba pushed himself off the tree when he saw two familiar figures coming up the road. He was about to call out to his teammates when he noticed something different about them – and he knew it wasn't the lack of the eye-stinging orange that usually swathed Naruto's torso; Kiba was secretly glad that the blonde hadn't been able to find an equally humiliatingly coloured jacket to replace the one he had lost.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked when they reached him. Kiba noticed that they were both walking a little stiffer than usual.

"The hag," Naruto answered, fuming.

"Huh?"

"Kurenai-sensei put Takara-sensei in charge of changing our weights," Sakura said in response to Naruto's lack of further explanation. "During training yesterday, she said we were getting soft, so she added a bit more on our weights."

"A bit?" Naruto scoffed. He shook out his arm. "She practically _doubled _it! I even slept with them on and it still feels like she's shoved a pole down my arms and legs!" He was whining by now, making faces and mimicking Takara's words, whatever she had said to them.

Kiba blinked. He had completely forgotten about his own weights. They had become a part of regular garment to him. When he got up in the morning, he would strap on the thick bands as casually as he slipped on his jacket. He felt a little ashamed for not noticing the need to upgrade the load.

"Do I get any?" he asked. Akamaru was winding himself around Sakura, sniffing curiously at her ankles.

"Here you go." Naruto pulled out a scroll from his pocket and tossed it to him.

The seal was marked as a storage one rather than a summoning one; at least Takara had thought to use a method convenient to genins. He gathered a certain amount of chakra and forced it into the seal, cracking it. In a puff of smoke, the scroll vanished and was replaced by several chips. Kiba weighed them thoughtfully in his hands; they were not heavy individually, but he was pretty sure that their weight would be taken to account when he attached them to his limbs.

After he had, Kiba understood his teammates' complaints. "It'll take some getting used to," he admitted, grimacing.

Sakura was looking on the bright side. "It only feels that heavy because the day just started. They'll get lighter with time."

"They'd better," Naruto growled. Kiba found the sight of the blonde glaring down at his legs outrageously hilarious, and he cracked up, doubled over, laughing. "What?" Naruto asked despite the growing smile on his face. "What's so funny?"

Kiba just clutched his stomach and waved his hand.

"Boys," Sakura sighed, shaking her head.

"Are stupid," Inuzuka Hana agreed. Sakura turned to see the older woman standing behind her, wearing a bemused expression as she watched her brother's antics. The smallest of the Haimaru Sankyodai nudged Akamaru and the dogs bounded off to entertain themselves.

It took some control to refrain from bowing; Hana had promptly cut her off the first time Sakura had tried and had made it clear that she wasn't keen on formalities. Instead, the pink-haired girl tried to match her fellow kunoichi's easy smile.

"So, what's the fuss about?" Hana asked.

"Our weights got increased."

"They say that if you go swimming with them you'll adjust easier." Hana shrugged. "I say you should just let your body adapt." She patted the younger girl's shoulder. "You'll feel a bit better after you've climbed those steps."

Sakura tilted her head back to look up at the long, winding staircase. Sometimes it reminded her of a dragon's back. It looked a lot longer than usual. "Uh, yeah… sure." Her voice lacked determination and certainty even to her own ears.

Hana laughed. She broke up Naruto and Kiba from their squabble and pushing them toward the stairs. "Come on, we don't have all day."

As it was, their body's acceptance to its additional burden improved as they ascended the stone steps, and by the time he had stopped to take his first drink from his water bottle, Naruto actually felt that he was capable of bounding up those ten or so steps that distanced them from Hana. He decided to test that theory, and put on a short burst of speed – he heard Kiba grumble something like 'bloody stamina' – to join the older Inuzuka. "Hey Hana-nee-chan."

She grinned down at him – it seemed that Inuzuka Hana was not to be seen without a ready smile. She reminded Naruto of Kiba at his best – playful, optimistic, yet productive when needed. "You seem to be adjusting pretty well," she observed, nodding toward his wrists. As Naruto had not worn a jacket and was only wearing a dark short-sleeved shirt, his wristbands stood out bulkily.

He experimentally lifted his arms to fold them behind his head. Not bad; still a bit rigid – not that he was going to tell Hana that. "The future Hokage can overcome anything. A little bit of heavy stuff isn't much of a problem."

"You amaze me, Naruto."

"Eh? Really?"

She nodded. "Really. I can see the effects right there." He noticed her eyes flicker to regard whatever was behind them, and Naruto turned. About a dozen steps behind them: Sakura, scowling, laughing, bodily dragging Kiba up the stairs, the latter crawling along them as if he were the canines that followed behind them – the dogs looked very amused.

"Friends," Hana confirmed.

"What… what about them?"

She chuckled. Then, lowering her voice, she answered, "My brother may look and act like an idiot but he doesn't trust people very easily. It is part of our clan's trait, I suppose; dogs bite at first sight, but once you get recognised its loyalty will follow you to the Shinigami's arms. Kiba trusts you, Naruto. He trusted you and Sakura with our family's past."

At this, Naruto ducked his head self-consciously. "I sort of forced it out of him. He didn't want to tell us at first – we just kept asking. Sorry if I… uh, intruded."

"You didn't," she assured him. Hana raised her head to the sky, briefly closing her eyes, not once tripping on the next steps. "It's a nice day."

Blinking, Naruto looked as well. A bird was flying overhead – as long as it wasn't flying over _his_ head, that was fine. Birds had a tendency to think that his head was a bullseye for their droppings. "Uh… yeah, it is. Nice day…" _Nice birds_, he was thinking, _good birdies._

"Kiba used to like bedtime stories."

"Really?" Naruto sniggered at the thought.

"Funny, isn't it? There was one particular story that he always made me tell him, sometimes in greater detail than others."

Uncertainly, Naruto glanced back at the younger Inuzuka. He lowered his head.

"Kiba has heard about our father so many times that he probably thinks it's a fairytale by now," Hana said ruefully. She chuckled. "I'm glad you gave him a chance to be storyteller, Naruto. I didn't realise that my brother had been thinking so deeply, but I doubt that there would have been much I could have done even if I had noticed. I'm a bad sister, aren't I, Naruto?"

"No!" Naruto ignored the attraction of his teammate's attention that his loud exclamation would bring. Hana shouldn't think this way; she deserved better – loads better. "You're a great sister, Hana-nee-chan. Kiba's really lucky to have someone like you to support him." His voice softened. "Sometimes I wish I had a sister."

Hana regarded her young companion. Uzumaki Naruto was not who she had expected him to be. Among the scattered village discussions and the scorn of some of her clan, Hana had been swayed into stereotypically considering Naruto to be a troublesome, good for nothing prankster. But looking at the boy beside her, she realised that everything she had heard could only be misled gossip. _If_ they were misled at all, she thought darkly. Hana was highly sensitive to many things; scents, voices – emotions. She sensed that there was something, a deeper layer, to the villagers when they spoke of Uzumaki Naruto and his antics. Beyond the scorn and bitterness, there was a hint of fear.

It was not in an Inuzuka's characteristics to intrude, and Hana was by all means an Inuzuka through and through. But Hana was curious. How could a boy, sweet and lively by nature, be regarded as a threat? Naruto was cheerfulness reincarnate. Whatever it was, she was certain that the villagers were thinking too much and placing too much animosity upon a child's shoulders.

_Care only for the pack and waste no effort concerning yourself otherwise,_ Tsume had taught her children. It had been force-lectured into Hana and Kiba's instincts before they had even acquired their canine companions. The pack was vital. The pack was important. Protect the pack with your life.

Uzumaki Naruto was part of Hana's pack.

She sensed that her brother and Sakura were curious about their conversation now. Hana smiled; Kiba was getting more and more attentive. At the slight jerk of her head, one of her Haimaru Sankyodai playfully barrelled into Kiba from behind and sent the boy sprawling into the dog's broad back. Kiba yelped and grappled for a hold on the dog's thick fur but he continued to slide, and then he was slipping off the first dog's back and onto the second's. The third, the largest, was waiting at the end, and if it was possible, Kiba could have sworn that the dog was grinning.

"Hana!" he yelled. "Cut it out! Akamaru!" The puppy leapt out of his jacket and bounded into Sakura's, burrowing into it contently. "Traitor!" Pleading, now, "Sakura!"

Sighing, smiling, Sakura went to rescue him from the mass of wet tongues molesting her teammate.

Naruto smiled as well, and then looked questioningly up at Hana. Kurenai had been teaching him how to 'look underneath the underneath', to see more than the surface provided. Hana would not hurt Kiba for anything, he knew, but she was rational enough to know that pranks had to be handled carefully when conducted on stairs as to not injure. He knew a distraction when he saw one.

"You're a good kid, Naruto," Hana smiled. She ruffled his hair good-naturedly, then patted it down as if to tame the gravity-defying strands. "I am thankful that you and Sakura were able to... well, tame Kiba. If you hadn't, the problem would sooner or later have affected our family. Arigatou."

Praise, until he had been assigned to Team Eight, was somewhat foreign to Naruto – and still was. Even Takara's gruff approval of his taijutsu form would have heat rushing to his face and a small sense of self-pleasure following it. He felt the same way with Hana now. "Ne, I didn't do much," he murmured modestly. "Sakura was the one who noticed first."

"Then my family owe you both, don't we?" Naruto gawked at Hana's statement. "What? Don't look like that, Naruto." Hana grinned and messed up the boy's hair again. "It doesn't stay down, does it?" she commented absently.

He ruefully shook his head, eyes still wide.

"Listen, Naruto." Hana's voice was serious. They had reached the top of the staircase by now, and were seemingly waiting for the others to catch up. "If you or Sakura ever need any help, don't think you can rely on the Inuzuka clan. We will do our best to aid you."

Naruto's eyes widened. Was this like some sort of… alliance? While he did not understand the technicalities behind the agreements, Sarutobi had made sure that Naruto was aware of the general politics a shinobi was required to know, and Naruto was quite convinced that a lot of importance lay in such alliances. Why was Hana offering one, even if it was somewhat unofficial, to two genins? Especially him?

Noticing his bewilderment, Hana added in a deliberately lighter tone, "You don't have to think about it that much. We generally do this with most teammates of an Inuzuka. Kiba is too young and too much of an idiot to do it, but I'm sure that he will agree." Then she was turning away, readying herself to be charged by Kiba. Laughing, she danced away from Naruto and wrestled playfully with her brother while he fumed.

"You told the dogs to jump me!"

"Don't be silly. Why would I ever do that to my dear brother?"

"Liar!"

"Kiba, did anyone tell you that jumping on a woman like that usually gives the wrong impression?"

"Who cares? No one's here to watch."

"I'll tell Mom!"

"I will too!"

"Dobber!"

* * *

Although Hana had already told him to take the 'alliance' lightly, Naruto could not abide by it. He was still pondering it an hour later, as he sat with his team and discussed the combat strategies and formations Kurenai-sensei had promised to revise. While Sakura and Kiba broke down and analysed given situations, Naruto sat by their side and offered the occasional suggestions, those contributions eventually ceasing as he was enveloped in a cocoon of his own musings.

Naruto was sure that he would not need his toes to count the number of people in the village who recognised and acknowledged him. He went through them anyway. Old Man Hokage, Iruka-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, possibly Kiba and Sakura, Teuchi and his daughter… Hana? He still frowned at the thought of it. Sure, it was nice – much more than nice – to have another person who respected his existence… but Hana seemed to be offering more than just her individual acceptance. It was almost as if she was representing the whole Inuzuka clan.

Although he had fared off rather badly in the written tests, Naruto liked to think that he had sufficient knowledge of Konoha – after all, a good Hokage knew everything about his people. Inuzuka was among one of the main clans residing in Konoha. They were not as prestigious and well-known as the Uchiha and Hyuuga, but the thought of having a clan's approval at all was… he didn't even know how to describe it.

Of course, Hana could have just said it to make him feel better about himself and probably didn't mean it in such depth… but she had made it so sincere and _real_ that Naruto could summon little doubt. Clan allegiances were very important, sometimes as vital as treaties among countries. Lack thereof had the capability of sparking a small-scale war or massacre. To be able to stand up and declare that he had the Inuzuka's support when such agreements were capable of such carnage… it was scary.

Kurenai had briefed him on the steps to becoming Hokage. He had to be patient; apparently, getting something done quickly would be scorned upon in comparison to doing it well and thoroughly. Well, Naruto could live with that. So basically, it meant that he had to be a good genin before he could move up the ranks to jounin and such. But what, he remembered asking, would he do after that?

The answer looped back to his main initiative: gain recognition. However, it was different in that he not only had to prove that he was worthy of the villagers' respect, but also had to draw endorsement from the clans. They were his foundations to being Hokage and their opinions weighed heavily during council meetings. For Naruto, that was rather difficult, considering how pretty much all the clans knew about his tenant. But if Hana was true to her word about the Inuzuka… she might not have tracked its significance to the boy this far, but Naruto would be sure to remember to thank her – and Kurenai for introducing him to politics (even if he barely understood it).

Count your blessings, Teuchi had told him, usually after Naruto had sneezed.

Okay then: _One._ Naruto sure wouldn't be counting sneezes anymore.

"Naruto."

"Huh?" the blonde blurted, raising his head. He found Kurenai-sensei staring him, her gaze mingling with Kiba's and Sakura's – even Akamaru's. Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. _How long was I out of it?_ "Ah, gomen."

"Geez, Naruto," Sakura scolded. "Pay attention!"

"Sorry," he said again, watching Kurenai nervously, preparing himself should she cook up some nasty plan of punishment and prevent him from eating at Ichiraku's.

Thankfully, the jounin didn't do anything of the sort. She probed for a moment and seemed to be on the verge of inquiring or keeping him back after training to do it in private, but then seemed to come to her own conclusions and merely raised an eyebrow. "I think we can all see that Naruto finds this sort of work boring," she said. Naruto knew she was only gently rebuking him, but he felt abashed regardless. "Let's leave it here then. I'm sure Kiba and Sakura will fill you in on what you have missed. Before we report for a mission, let's go over the chakra exercise I showed you the other day."

This time Kurenai allowed her team to wade into the lake and splash each other instead of relying on her to conjure the water. It was easier for her to observe the amount of chakra they were summoning when her view wasn't obscured by the torrent. She was able to offer her students some advice from where she stood on the bank and under her guidance, the genins' execution of the technique became more defined.

Sakura and Kiba had the main grasp of external chakra control. Kiba was more focused this time, less distracted; Kurenai could only assume that his teammates had confronted him on his recent issues and eased his view of them.

Unbeknownst to her companions, Kurenai had cast a simple genjutsu to mask Naruto's attempts of the technique should passer-bys notice its resemblance to the Hyuuga technique. She should not have bothered; Naruto could not produce the same scale effect even when he tried. It seemed that he needed motivation; the last time, he had been inspired by his failure against his teammates' success. Sakura and Kiba tried to help him this time, and he leaned more on their assistance than his own manifestation.

Kurenai recalled the blonde genin's distracted and contemplative demeanour earlier. It had not been an indication that he was bothered or displeased with something; she recognised those signs by now. No, Naruto was, for once, merely thinking, planning. As a good teacher, Kurenai should make it her main initiative to understand her students as well as possible. However, she had been doing a lot of that for the trio of youths she was responsible for, and as Kouta-sensei often did, Kurenai realised that there had to be times where she just let them deal with the difficulty themselves. The episodes with Naruto and Sakura's dispute, and Kiba's denial had proven that the genins of Team Eight were more than capable of handling things on their own.

This was particularly noticeable since their first C-rank mission, Kurenai noted. Naruto had matured a little, somewhat quieter but also livelier and more thoughtful. He and his teammates were more open to each other, better attuned to their personalities and characteristics. Watching Naruto's concentration as Kiba drilled into the water with a solitary Tsuuga, spraying and drenching him, and Sakura's vocal instructions to moulding his chakra, Kurenai came to the conclusion that, now more than ever, Team Eight was coming together.

It was a teacher's greatest pride and joy to see her students flourish. Even if what had started out as a training exercise morphed into a water fight. Naruto had successfully managed to deflect the water on a weak scale – even though his clothes were already too soaked to tell. The training might have gone on smoothly had Kiba not resurfaced and started shaking the water out of his hair and wet his teammates. On a whim, Naruto splashed him back, and after both boys' attempt to get back at the other ended up almost drowning _her_, Sakura yanked back her sleeves and joined the fray.

It took a moment for the thought to break them up to cross Kurenai's consciousness. She didn't, however. The laughter was quite nice to listen to and the three _were_ getting some practice in, since they were using chakra to stay afloat. It wasn't like she hadn't seen this coming, either.

Kurenai lowered herself in the shade of the nearest tree, pulled out some documents she had yet to complete, and let her students be children for a while longer. Today, she decided, was the day.

* * *

Due to a particularly quick recovery of Tora the cat, Naruto's team managed to clear three missions before lunchtime. Naruto was pleased with the payout and decided to treat his team to ramen before the taijutsu lesson with Takara. Kurenai declined the free meal with the excuse that she had other things to do – mainly grocery shopping, but she wasn't going to tell her students that. Additionally, her presence would have affected what she had yet to reveal.

She managed to get Sakura and Kiba alone after Naruto dashed off to the bathroom. "Were you aware that Naruto's birthday is approaching?"

Kiba blinked. "Really?"

"Next week."

"He didn't tell us," Sakura frowned. After a while, uncertainly, she added, "Maybe we should get him something…"

They were embracing the idea better than she thought they would. Kurenai knew that it was manipulative of her to act without Naruto's consent. But he deserved, for once, to be a normal boy, to receive gifts and acknowledgement like every other child. Even if it wasn't really his birthday.

It had been Sandaime's suggestion to strengthen Naruto's bonds with his teammates, and Kurenai had agreed. Naruto's birthday was actually not due until the following month, but it would evidently be foolish to reveal the real date. The boy had likely intended for the day to be overlooked and forgotten, having spent it alone for so many years. Perhaps it would do him good to have his team celebrate with him despite the false occasion, to feel like he belonged to a family of some sort.

"Sensei." It was Sakura who spoke up. "Why didn't Naruto tell us about his birthday?"

As a jounin who benefited from a sharp mind honed by execution of complex genjutsus, Kurenai was able to answer without suspicious pause. "You have to keep in mind that Naruto is an orphan and is a stranger to companionship." Kiba's and Sakura's heads lowered. "He may have gotten used to spending the time alone, but it's not too late to change that, is it?"

Sakura fell into a thoughtful silence, looking a little upset. Kiba, however, was more vocal of his thoughts. "I think we should make it a surprise. That's how birthdays are supposed to be, right?"

"I suppose… but what do we get him?"

"Beats me."

Naruto returned after a while, wiping his hands on his pants. "Whatcha talking about?" he asked, popping in between his two teammates. Sakura and Kiba glanced at each other.

"How hungry we are," Kiba said hastily. He grabbed Naruto and headed down the street. "Ramen time!"

Sakura bade their sensei an equally rushed farewell before hurrying after the boys.

Kurenai watched them merge with the crowd. She was aware that she was being intrusive of Naruto's privacy. It was undeniable that she favoured her students, particularly the cheerful blonde boy. He deserved better than he got. Sarutobi was convinced on that thought. Kurenai just happened to agree with him. Strongly.

* * *

"Hey, Naruto. What do you like?" Kiba asked, trying valiantly to disguise his genuine curiosity with casualness. Next to him, Sakura was listening in as well.

The blonde didn't pause in inhaling his meal. "Ramen."

"Anything else?" Sakura persisted.

This time, Naruto paused to think about it. "Teuchi-ojii-san for making it," he said finally, making his teammates drop their heads and sigh. "Another bowl, Ayame-nee-chan!" And then he was eating again.

Kiba stirred at his noodles. He had been surprised that Naruto had not made any attempt to warn him and Sakura of his birthday. Bragging and asking for presents seemed like a very Naruto thing to do. Perhaps Kurenai-sensei was right and he was shy about it… still, it didn't make deciding on a suitable gift any easier. There was always treating him to ramen to fall back on, but Kiba wasn't too keen on the thought. Not only would it likely cost them more than buying something substantial, ramen simply did not last and barely held any remembrance. Since they were a team Kiba was under the impression that the first gift should be something that Naruto could look at and remember them by.

And Naruto hardly remembered anything when he had a bowl of steaming ramen in front of him.

Sakura's silence told Kiba that she was uncertain as well. It would be easier and more worthwhile to decide on a single item and split the price between the two of them; Kiba was willing if she was. It would be even more significant that way. But the same question remained: what to buy?

It was giving him a frustrating headache. Kiba was not one for gifts and accessories. They were more a bother than anything useful. Even when it was his birthday, there was just the usual hair-ruffling and kiss-dodging and new weapon set. His mother and sister were equally immaterial about celebrations and anniversaries. Kiba made it a point to get them something anyway, since they were women. Women were easier to please; a single hair comb would get him out of headlocks from Hana for a day or two.

But no, Naruto couldn't be a girl, could he? It was so troublesome.

* * *

Sakura remembered that she and some other girls used to gift Sasuke with presents on a regular basis, be it his birthday or not. What had she gotten him…? It seemed so long ago since the last time she had and it was difficult for her to recall. In any case, Sasuke had refused all of them, so he probably hadn't fancied them much. Would Naruto react the same way?

Presently, he was reacting faster than she would like, parrying her jab with a forearm and reaching for her while she was distracted. Sakura winced as he tapped her shoulder to indicate a hit. Takara-sensei was not going to be pleased with that.

She wasn't. "Find your brain, girl! You could have blocked that. Put some effort into it!"

Grimacing, Sakura did. Naruto hung back for a moment, going easy on her; they were both aware that Takara gave nasty punishments when she was unsatisfied with their performance. Sakura shook her head and pushed him back into the spar they had been running through. It wouldn't do for her to be distracted. On the field, it could be fatal. She had to concentrate.

She circled around Naruto, came at him from the side. He lowered himself into a block and lashed out with his fist. Sakura shifted her weight to the left, her opponent's fist grazing only the fabric of her jacket. She grabbed Naruto's wrist as it passed, yanked it toward her, throwing him off balance. Her knee was raised to meet his stomach.

Naruto struck out with his other hand, levering himself off her conveniently raised leg, pushing it back to the ground. Then he stepped forward and leaned his elbow through her guard. Sakura hastily released his other arm and leapt back, flipping a safe distance away.

"Better," Takara approved, yawning. She reached for the gourd she had brought with her and drank from it. "But still not good enough. Gee, Kurenai goes soft on you brats, doesn't she?"

"You've just got high expectations," Naruto shot back.

He shouldn't have said that. Takara kept them at it longer than usual. It wasn't long before Sakura began to tire and stumble. To her chagrin, Naruto was barely fazed – his stamina was ridiculous. Sakura was forced onto the defensive.

"Oi, oi," Takara called half an hour later, and the genins could have sworn that she was grinning. "Think that's enough for the day?" She didn't wait for a response. "Probably is. Follow me – warming down exercise."

Takara's idea of a 'warming down exercise' was having her students balance in the lake. Standing on an upright log. Without chakra. "I'll be back when the sun sets," she said from the bank. She stretched and cracked her knuckles. "Think I'll go catch some grub. Later, brats."

Naruto didn't like that idea. "Oi! Hag! Get back here!" But she was gone, and his outburst only succeeded in tipping him into the water. He came up sputtering, grabbed at his log and rested on it like the survivor of a ship wreck. "Stupid hag," he muttered as he struggled to flip back onto the plank. "This is impossible!"

"If only we could use our chakra," Sakura agreed. She had the thankful tact to channel chakra and avoid being drenched when she had fallen. Kurenai-sensei might have jutsus that warmed and dried their clothes, but Takara might not – Sakura doubted she would have used it for their benefit even if she did; the woman was a huge fan of 'self-perseverance'.

Snorting, Naruto steadied himself on his log and held out his arms to balance. He lasted a few minutes, and then slipped. Again. "Sakura-chaaaan," he whined when he came up again. "How do you stay up like that for so long?"

"Be still." It really was the only method; crouching low would increase balance and probability of tipping the log over while standing up only reversed those statistics. In the end, it was balance, balance, balance. Exactly what Takara had intended.

Naruto grumbled and clambered back onto the log. The lake was somewhat tranquil and there were no currents that deterred his progress. But Naruto wasn't very good at staying still. The next time he slipped, however, he applied chakra to his fit and managed to stay above the surface, just as he had seen Sakura do. "This sucks," he complained.

Her foundations wobbled. "Idiot," Sakura hissed. "You're distracting me!"

"Eh, sorry."

Sakura sighed. She stepped onto the water, taking her log with her. "Come here, Naruto. Let's try balancing together to start off."

They stood face to face, arms locked onto each other's shoulders. Sakura pinched her partner whenever he swayed and fidgeted. "Cut it out," she would murmur, and he would whisper an apology before settling down.

Sakura was aware that their formation required them to stand very close to each other, and was thankful that Naruto was not showing any signs of his old obsession for her. It was sweet sometimes, yes, but could also be pretty annoying. If anything, it seemed like his feelings for her had diluted since their return from Otafuku Gai. Her similar objectives with Sasuke… she wasn't so sure.

Her balance faltered when the Uchiha wandered into her thoughts. Naruto's grip on her jacket tightened and it was _his_ turn to grunt a warning. Sakura nodded and focused her centre of gravity on the lower portion of her body, bending her knees slightly to retain equilibrium.

She was still uncertain about Sasuke. Her pulse still quickened at his mention, even more so when she realised that incorrect treatment of the situation with Sasuke would shatter her team's bonds. Sakura didn't want that. It was somewhat annoying to deal with the boys but when she was with them, she was lighter, more carefree… happy. Kiba's arguments with Naruto and Kurenai-sensei's amused expressions made Sakura weirdly glad to be on Team Eight.

Naruto's sneeze interrupted her thoughts. Thankfully, he had the perception to turn away from her. "Bless you," she said wryly.

Grinning lopsidedly, he said. "That's two blessings from you."

She frowned at his cryptic meaning behind his words. "What's that supposed to mean."

But he just shook his head and continued to grin. "Nah. Don't worry about it." In the soft glare of the setting sun, Sakura could see goosebumps rising on the skin of his exposed arms as he shivered.

"Don't you have another jacket?" she questioned. It was good that Naruto had finally gotten rid of the top half of his orange jumpsuit – it wasn't very wise to wear something like that on missions – but the lack of warm clothing seemed to be affecting the blonde's health. Sakura was somewhat surprised to discover that she would rather put up with Naruto's sordid sense of fashion than have him sneezing and coughing throughout the day.

"I used to have another one, but my stupid washing machine went crazy and ripped it up." He shrugged. "I'm looking for another one. I think Iruka-sensei might have some old clothes for me – he gave me this hitai-ate, did you know that?"

Something in Sakura's chest tightened and clenched. She lowered her head so that Naruto would not grow curious. Why was she feeling this way? Why… and she knew; Naruto should not have to lean on an Academy teacher's limited care. He shouldn't be so happy that a single person would be willing to provide him with material scraps. He should have someone looking after him, washing his clothes by hand, getting him new ones when they frayed.

"Naruto," she murmured, her soft voice making him blink. "You're… an orphan, right?"

Naruto stiffened to the point where he would have no difficulties balancing without Sakura to steady him. "Yeah," he said in an equally quiet tone.

She pressed her lips together, drawing them into a thin line. "Did you go to an orphanage?"

"Yep. I got out of there when the Old Man enrolled me in the Academy."

"Did you…" Sakura realised her curiosity was insensitive only after she had started the enquiry. But Naruto seemed to catch onto the unsaid portion of her question, and chuckled.

"Nobody wanted to adopt me." Then he was grinning… but Sakura saw it more as a desperate shield than a gesture of playfulness. "I played too much tricks on everyone. When I was five I led some of the other orphans and poured pepper in the adults' uniforms. They didn't like me a lot after that."

"Oh." She bit her lip. "Gomen ne, Naruto."

"Huh? Why are you apologising?"

"I made you think of… sorry. You were right in the forest; I really don't understand."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto gazed at her for a moment, and then shook his head. He withdrew his arms from her shoulders and Sakura thought he really was upset with her, but when she looked up he was smiling. Slowly, she pulled away as well, separating them. She hastily righted her balance. "I think I can balance by myself now," he said cheerfully. "Thanks for the help, Sakura."

"No… no worries."

It was sad, Sakura realised. Naruto had been alone for so long… she wondered if Iruka-sensei even filled up the void. More importantly, did she, Kiba, Akamaru and Kurenai-sensei help at all? Were they enough…?

Sakura decided then and there that, even if they weren't, she would make sure they could keep Naruto's lonesome childhood at bay. If no one would take care of him, they would.

She needed to talk to Kiba.

* * *

Kurenai wholeheartedly agreed with Sakura and Kiba's proposal. They hadn't had to ask her, of course; they had already worked out everything. They did, however, require her assistance. Two days after the revelation of Naruto's 'birthday', his teammates had him in Yasumagi Shinji's store under the guise of a mission.

Then, as Kurenai watched with amusement, Sakura and Kiba got down to work.

"Ano ne, aren't we supposed to be here for a mission?" Naruto asked, as Yasumagi set out to measure his dimensions.

"Our mission is to find a suitable change of outfit for our client's son," Kurenai said smoothly. "You are about his height and size."

"Eh? So I'm gonna be the doll?!"

"Quit complaining," Sakura murmured, then joined Kiba by the racks of clothes. "Come over here, Naruto."

Over the next twenty minutes various pieces of clothing were held against Naruto's figure, frequently swapped by other colours in experiment. "Ne, ne, can I choose?" he asked.

Sakura and Kiba glanced warily at each other, different pieces of jackets and trousers in their hands. "We hear it first," Kiba compromised.

Naruto grinned. "Oran-"

"Forget it."

By the end of the twenty minutes, his teammates seemed to have finalised their choices. Naruto wore navy-coloured trousers that were too long for him and had yet to be tailored for his – the client's kid, he reminded himself – fit. A jacket, a dark shade of crimson that bordered on brown, completed the outfit.

"Kurenai-sensei," Sakura called when they were done, and the jounin joined them. "What do you think?"

"Green would have been a more productive camouflage," she commented, but before Kiba could reach for something of the colour, she added, "but stealth seems not to be the wearer's strength. The dark colours provide a relative cover. Do you like it, Naruto?"

The blonde turned curiously at the mirror. "Orange would have been better," he declared, wrinkling his nose. He stepped back to study his reflection. "But this isn't too bad. Feels weird, though. Why are you asking me? Go ask the other kid – why isn't he here anyway? You were talking about all that blending in stuff and stealth. He's a ninja too, isn't he?"

"So many questions," Kiba muttered. The flash of annoyance faded into an emotion of a less defined nature.

Sakura might have been the one to suggest a trip to the tailor's, but now she looked uncertain. "Naruto," she said slowly, hesitating. How would he take it? "Naruto, these clothes… they're for you."

If she had been expecting some sort of reaction leaning toward the loud and excessive type, she was disappointed. Naruto froze, turned his head back to the mirror, his eyes wide as if he were seeing the new clothes for the first time. Looked at his teammates' reflections in the mirror. Met their eyes there.

"Why?"

"Happy birthday," Kiba said gruffly. Seeing Naruto's eyes widen, he fired off on a rant to ease his slight embarrassment. "We know it's early and everything, and we know you like orange, but you should really get some clothes that don't mark you as a walking bullseye and you don't have a jacket anymore so… Kurenai-sensei told us about your birthday," he added weakly, as if mention of the jounin would protect him from anything moderately awkward that his blonde teammate was capable of.

Naruto turned away from the mirror to stare at Kurenai. Once he saw the slight smile and the knowing glint in her eyes, any doubts that he'd had about miscalculations and wrong dates were erased. She had purposefully misled Kiba and Sakura into believing that it was his birthday – it shouldn't have been hard; Naruto had been warned against revealing the true date of his birth to distance him from the Kyuubi attack that had happened twelve years ago.

He supposed that he should be angry at Kurenai for jumping him like that without any warning or even consulting him. But he couldn't find a morsel of fury in his body. It was hard for him to be enraged at the woman who was among a small handful of people who treated him like an actual person, and whom he respected. Kurenai would have her logical reasons – Naruto knew she wasn't an irrational or inconsiderate person. Thanks to her, he apparently had presents.

Kiba and Sakura's efforts to celebrate his 'birthday' also touched him. They were paying out of their own wallet, he assumed, to recognise his birth. It was the highest form of recognition. Not only that, but they had also thought in advance of what he might need and would be useful to him. No one but the Third and Iruka had given Naruto presents before.

It felt… nice.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked uncertainly, drawing his attention back to the present.

He swallowed thickly. "You didn't have to do this, you know," he said in a whisper.

Kiba shrugged, and it was all there in his wordless gesture. For a teammate. For a friend. For Naruto and Naruto only.

He felt special, like all children were supposed to on their birthdays and, according to their parents that Naruto didn't have, they were supposed to be special every day.

It was about damn time for him to catch up on those stolen moments.

"Thanks… you guys."

Kiba's and Sakura's eyes widened at the emotion in Naruto's voice. The Inuzuka boy scratched the back of his head. "No problem… no problem at all," he said uncomfortably.

Naruto smiled at them.

Yasumagi set about tailoring the clothes. The ones that Naruto were wearing were only prototypes for matching up preferences, and the real thing had to be constructed in advance. He worked quickly and efficiently, altering the clothes to Kurenai's suggestions of securely pressed seams and thick material for combat situations. Kiba also insisted that a hood similar to his – minus the fur rim, Naruto found himself hoping; it looked itchy – be included. "Hides the scent," he'd explained, and Yasumagi had complied. A hood was constructed out of the same material as the jacket and attached to the inside of the jacket, designed so that it could be conveniently folded away when it was not required.

Now clad in his real outfit, Naruto looked at himself in the mirror again. He saw a blonde boy who was barely recognisable but for the whisker-marks on each cheek. The orange had helped him to stand out and draw attention, which had been his intention. But now, he looked more like the other genins of his graduating class, a bit older and more solemn. _More like Kiba, _he thought with a grim smile.

He barely noticed Kurenai until she was standing right behind him. She was holding out what looked like a black vest that was a variation of the sort Naruto had seen chuunins and jounins wear. "It isn't the same as the vest higher ranked shinobi wear," Kurenai said, reading his thoughts effortlessly. "It has less pockets and its colour won't mark you as a chuunin. This is one of Yasumagi-san's new stock, a thick vest for genins like you to wear. Consider it armour, if you will. It won't be enough to deflect kunai, but it should slow it down and reduce the damage."

Naruto obediently raised his arms so that the vest could be slipped over his jacket. "I feel bulky," he muttered, earning a snort from Kiba.

"Do you like it?" Kurenai asked.

He looked even more like a shinobi now. Naruto nodded.

His sensei patted his shoulder. "My present to you then, Naruto. You may not need it outside missions."

"Do _I_ get one when it's _my_ birthday?" Kiba asked suggestively, though he didn't sound too envious.

Kurenai grinned. "A pink one? Sure."

It was startling to see the changes in him, Naruto acknowledged, but it was stunning when he looked back at the mirror and realised what it depicted. With Kurenai-sensei standing directly behind him, her hands on his shoulders, and Kiba and Sakura on either side of him; it looked like a photo.

"Can we take a photo someday? Together?" he asked suddenly.

Sakura looked at him through the mirror. "Why would you want that?"

But Kurenai-sensei knew, and she smiled. "Sure, Naruto. I have a camera."

"Thanks, Sensei."

It looked like a photo. Of a family. And Naruto was standing in the middle.

* * *

"Do you have anything to tell me, Naruto?" Kurenai asked later that day. The jounin had taken Naruto and his friends to a restaurant for dinner, and was now walking the blonde home after the other members of their team had gone their own ways.

Naruto paused, then shook his head cheerfully. "Nope." He should probably ask for her reasons behind deceiving Sakura and Kiba, but he thought he could figure out a few of them by himself. And really, he didn't care about it anymore.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Nothing at all?"

"Nope." He was thinking of dinner, how they had all laughed and teased each other over dessert. How most of the villagers in the restaurant had not ruined the night by noticing Naruto and glaring daggers at him in their spare moments. His new clothes blended him in better than Kiba and Sakura had worried over.

"You look happy," Kurenai observed.

Naruto just grinned.

His sensei chuckled and left him at his apartment with a hair ruffle that he enjoyed more than usual.

After he had taken a shower and carefully hung up his new outfit in his wardrobe and folded his vest away for special missions, Naruto started digging through his apartment's cupboards and drawers. He had to pull out a jumble of old toys, expired products that smelled bad, several cups of ramen, and kunai and shuriken he thought he had lost before he located what he was looking for.

A photo frame.

Kurenai had been true to her word. They had stopped by her house on their way to the restaurant. They took the photo in her garden, with the setting sun and her apartment behind them. It had taken a while for the film to develop into four copies – one for each of them, Naruto had insisted. It was like looking in the mirror again.

Naruto gently slipped the photograph into the frame and reverently placed it on his bedside table. Throughout the rest of the night, he stopped by a lot of times to pick up the frame, running his fingers over it as if he still couldn't believe that it was real, etched into a lasting memory. He smiled every time, and by the sixth, he had given up trying to convince himself that there was something in his eye.

* * *

Naruto enjoyed himself the following week. His team continued to clear out missions on a daily basis. Those missions ranged from once again seeking out the notorious cat of the Daimyo's wife to helping out in the bakery. It was during the latter that Naruto discovered the second convenient use of the hood Kiba had introduced to his jacket; it covered his bright hair and, ultimately, his identity.

With his hood up, the villagers barely recognised him. Naruto doubted the baker had. Although it felt a little strange not to be the centre of attention, even if such attention was composed of disdainful glares and constant shaking of heads, it was an amazing sensation to wander around the village under the skin of a stranger who did not bear the name of Uzumaki Naruto. The people he talked to were friendlier and politer. Not that Naruto liked walking around in his own village with his true identity obscured. He wasn't a thief or an outside. He was a Leaf Village shinobi.

The scorns returned once he pulled back the hood, but on a curiously lower scale. Some of the villagers recognised his clothes and managed to trace the hooded stranger back to Naruto. It was somewhat amusing to watch their expressions when the realisation sank in. While their treatment toward him did not improve drastically, they no longer hesitated and scowled before serving him in the shops or refuse him entry at all. It was very interesting.

His taijutsu sessions with Takara also intensified. Spars against Sakura and Kiba when he was present were no longer part of routine, but now seen as a blessing. Takara assessed their skills by challenging them herself. Despite being permitted to use ninjutsu and genjutsu, neither of her students could approach her long and strong enough to do damage. Naruto soon realised that there was no meaning to bombarding an opponent with shadow clones when she could destroy them will ease – and would continue to for as long as he kept producing them.

Once he realised this, Naruto tackled his training with renewed vigour, complaining little when their weights were increased again. His teammates drew determination from his and Kurenai was pleasantly surprised when she saw genuine focus in her students. When all three of her genins showed that they were capable of pulling off the reflecting water exercise – even Naruto, who had been struggling in the first stages – the jounin rewarded their efforts by introducing a basic Fire jutsu to them.

It was easy to see where Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu got its namesake. It produced a large sphere of roiling flames that could consume one's opponent. The technique's size and range was varied by the amount of chakra and control poured into it; unsurprisingly, Naruto had produced the largest fireball. His only stretched out for five or so metres, but Sakura could make hers, which was smaller, exceed his by twice as much. It was all a matter of control. As it was, Kiba had it easier than both of them.

That was one of the reasons Naruto was using his day off to practice the jutsu. He would not fall behind his friends and become a burden. No way was he letting that happen. This linked to a second, somewhat darker reason. The Great Fireball Jutsu was the same technique Sasuke had assaulted him with during their mission. Naruto would not give the Uchiha an excuse to use it against him another time. He wouldn't need Sasuke's 'help'.

The sun was shining brightly as Naruto walked down to the lake after breakfast. Kurenai had suggested that he practiced his jutsu over the water for safety reasons. He had even managed to coax Kiba and Sakura to join him. It was inconsiderate of him to demand their company when they should be spending the day with their family – Naruto had to remind himself that not everyone didn't have one – and had hastily tried to withdraw the invitation. He hadn't hid his disappointment well enough, it seemed, because his teammates changed track quickly and compensated by arranging to meet him at midday. Only their enthusiasm and willingness had convinced Naruto to go along with it.

He was early, he knew. Naruto had intended to be. The previous day, during a mission, he had discovered that he could retain the memories of his shadow clones. The task had been to gather certain groceries for an elderly couple, and Naruto had dispatched a high quantity of clones to fetch those items. One of those clones had been 'killed' when it had dashed across the park and had a soccer ball fly at its head. The pain and surprise had registered back to the real Naruto, and it was then that he made the discovery.

It was strange how it had never occurred to him the other times he had used the Shadow Clone Jutsu; he put it down to an improvement in his chakra control. Whatever it was, it could help him. He could line up shadow clones along the river and have them practice the new jutsu at the same time. The clones' failures and success, when transferred back to him, would be as invaluable as conjuring the technique hundreds of times.

Naruto grinned at the thought. He would have that jutsu down in no time. And if he managed it get it done before Kiba and Sakura got there, all the better.

Before he could do that, though, Naruto had to reach the lake. He whistled as he walked, his clothes comfortably shifting with his carefree strides. It shifted with him as he tripped, too, his foot catching under something concealed in the bushes he was passing.

Taken by surprise, his reflexes failed him – who expected a bush to attack you anyway? Naruto tumbled to the ground. A veil of dirt rose into the air, making the blonde sneeze as he always did when such situations arose. _That's three_, he thought with a huff. It irked him that he was counting more sneezes than real blessings.

Naruto brushed himself off as he got up again. Thankfully, his trousers were backed with thick material and did not tear easily. He looked around to see what he had tripped over, and in doing so discovered a figure crouched in between two bushes. A large scroll lay on the ground behind him; Naruto scowled and realised that it was what he had tripped over.

The stranger could be a shinobi spy seeking to steal Konoha's secret. Not if Uzumaki Naruto had something to say about it. He eased his hood over his head, hoping that Kiba had been right about the scent, and approached the shinobi from behind. He couldn't see his target very well, but judging from the bulk, it was a man.

"Oi!" Naruto shouted, reaching for a weapon. "Who are – mmph!" A hand had clamped around his mouth and another had dragged him down to his knees. Naruto struggled.

"Quiet!" a voice hissed in his ear. "You wanna get us discovered?"

Discovered? Yes, he wanted to get him discovered!

Then Naruto looked. By the waterfall, a group of young women had gathered to bathe. Some of them weren't very… _covered_. It dawned on him then. This was no spy…

"Look, we'll share this spot, alright? We're both men… we like the same things."

Tempting… Naruto shook his head. No. Sakura would kill him for sure.

The hand slipped away as a perverted giggle took its place. Naruto snapped his head around to view the man. Talk about Sakura…

"You're the guy who peeked on my friend!" There was no mistaking it now. He could recognise that giggle anywhere.

The man recoiled, staring incredulously at him. Up close now, Naruto could see his features in closer detail. While his hair was white, his skin was unwrinkled and he moved with the fluidity of a ninja. The horned forehead protector that Naruto had glimpsed in Otafuku Gai was not, as he had assumed, engraved with the Leaf insignia, but rather the kanji for 'oil'.

"Oi, kid, who are you to-" he began, but Naruto yanked his hood back, revealing his ruffled blonde hair. The man's eyes widened with recognition.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a hint of sarcasm. "Recognise me now?"

For a moment, the older man was silent. Then he chuckled. "You again? Nice threads, kid, but you're dealing with the wrong guy here. Adult business. Stick your nose out of it. Go back on your-"

But Naruto was done. He jumped to his feet, in full view of the women by the waterfall, and jabbed a finger down at the white-haired man. "PERVERT!" he yelled triumphantly.

Naruto never got to find out if the ladies were grateful for his noble intervention, or if they would 'reward' him. With a hissed curse, the man grabbed him and his hands flicked into handseals. Before the genin could react, the air constricted around him, squeezing tighter.

"I can't believe you just did that, brat!"

He opened eyes he didn't remember closing. Naruto looked around. The waterfall was some distance away now, and the lake was closer than he remembered. He peered up at the white-haired man. "You're a ninja."

The man snorted. "You have no idea who you're talking to, gaki. I'm no ordinary ninja."

"I know that." Naruto got to his feet, once again brushing the dirt from his knees.

"Mm, good on you, kid. I am-"

"You're just a perverted old man."

The man's nostrils flared. "I was doing research!"

"Research my butt," Naruto retorted.

He was eyed sceptically. "I don't swing that way, kid."

Naruto gawked. "That's it!" he fumed, bringing his hands together. "You're going down – I've got a super jutsu made especially to deal with guys like you!" And it had been so long since he had used it, too.

"Oh?" The man crossed his arms over his chest, looking interested. "Let's see it, then."

"You asked for it! _Oiroke_ _no __Jutsu_!"

In Naruto's place stood a striking young woman with blonde pigtails, a very fine figure and smoke wafting strategically over certain parts of her unclothed body. She leaned over and blew a kiss at the white-haired man.

Blood spewed from his nose and he fell back to the ground, giggling at a high pitch.

Naruto transformed back and rubbed his nose. "Not bad, eh?" he grinned. "That'll teach you to be a pervert!"

At this, the man sat up and mopped at the blood on his face. Clearing his throat, he said in a solemn tone, "I am not a pervert, gaki."

"Eh? Then what are you?"

He leapt to his feet and struck a ridiculous pose. "I am Myouboku Mountain's Monk of the Toad Spirits, also known as the Toad Sage." He paused for a more dramatic attack, leering down at Naruto, who just rolled his eyes and made a face.

The man changed his pose, and in the blink of an eye, he was perched on the head of a large orange toad. "The Legendary Toad Sannin… Jiraiya-sama!"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Legendary…?" he repeated doubtfully.

The old pervert rested his hands on his hip, thrust out his chest and nodded. "That's right. You're looking at a great man – and the world's one and only super pervert!"

Naruto shrugged. "Ero-sennin," he decided.

"Baka! Don't call me that!"

Naruto's stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry. Jiraiya scowled and cleared his throat, looking down at the genin with a different sort of gaze. "Well, gaki, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon."


	11. Meeting Again

**Chapter 11 – Meeting Again**

"Well, gaki, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon."

Naruto stared doubtfully at the white-haired man before him. This… pervert was claiming to be some legendary fellow? Pfft. Naruto had never seen such a hentai reaction to his Oiroke no Jutsu. Kurenai-sensei would not be impressed. "I'm not a kid," he glared.

Jiraiya's fist thumped the top of his head, almost sending Naruto's knees buckling. "Why the hell are you so short, boy? Don't tell me it's the genes."

Scowling, the blonde genin ducked out from under the heavy limb. _What am I – a crutch?_ "I just haven't had my growth spurt, that's all," he said, indignantly smoothing his hair back into wild locks. "Who are you to call me short? I don't even know you!"

"You sure about that?" Jiraiya murmured. Naruto narrowed his eyes at him.

"What are you on about now?"

The man regarded him silently. Frowning, Naruto unwaveringly returned the stare. _Don't let your opponent think you are afraid, _Takara had lectured sternly, and had walloped him alongside the head for a full two minutes when he had failed to give her the impression that he was 'dangerous'. Now he drew the fruits of his labour and squared his shoulders, thrusting them back, tipping his chin up as if to say _'I've seen taller weeds.'_

"Hmm… maybe you did get something out of your genes after all."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Nani?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Nah. Nothing." He reached down and, with barely any effort at all, picked up Naruto by the back of his jacket and held him out in front of him. "So, what's a shortie like you doing out here?"

Naturally, Naruto struggled. However, experience from similar situations with Iruka told him that his efforts were futile. Where Iruka's grip had been controlled and slack, Jiraiya's was solid and firm. Naruto's Academy teacher often made the mistake of underestimating his pupil's ability to escape and so usually ended up letting him slip. Jiraiya did not. He was grasping enough of Naruto's jacket to have found good purchase and had grabbed a spot the wearer would have difficulty reaching.

It was the first time since their acquaintance that Naruto considered that there was a possibility that the old pervert really was the legendary ninja he claimed to be.

"And you call yourself a ninja?" Jiraiya was snorting. He shook his arm up and down, making Naruto's teeth clink together painfully as he was jolted around. "I've seen the baker's son do better!"

Naruto's nostrils flared. He had spent so many years of his life trying to attract attention, to stand out, and this _Ero-sennin_ was scrunching up his efforts and tossing them into the trash can. "I'm a ninja, _a ninja_!" he shouted, throwing his arms out wide. "I'm gonna be Hokage! Don't you dare underestimate me!"

"Hokage, huh?" Jiraiya adjusted his grip so he could meet Naruto's indignant glare. "Do you know what being Hokage means, kid?"

"Of course I do! It means being the village's leader and protecting it. I'm going to be Hokage. I'm going to be strong so I can protect my precious people." Naruto jabbed a finger at his captor's face. "And a pervert like you ain't gonna stop me!"

"I told you, I'm not a pervert!"

"Ero-baka."

"Idiot?" Jiraiya laughed. "I'm way over your level, kid. Maybe when you can beat me in a fight, you'll earn the right to call me an idiot. But not now, nope. You're just a snotty little genin."

"Quit insulting me!"

Something bubbled in the pit of his chakra coils. For a horrified moment, Naruto thought that he had somehow been provoked by a legendary pervert into stoking the fire that was his tenant's destructive power. Then he realised that it was just the irresistible urge to show Jiraiya that he was not some child who played with blunted weapons and cried over paper cuts. He was Uzumaki Naruto, a ninja on his way to become the best.

He raised his head and levelled his gaze with Jiraiya's. The Sannin cocked an eyebrow at the calm after the storm. "I'm not," Naruto said evenly. "I'm not a baby. No matter what you say, I'm a ninja. A real one."

To his credit, Jiraiya seemed to be equally serious. "Prove it."

_Prove what you need to,_ Kurenai's voice echoed. Naruto had something to prove. His strength. His sensei's teachings. His worth. He would prove it to any baka who challenged him.

Alongside his mentor's words of knowledge, Naruto also distinctly recalled that Kurenai had basically forbidden him from attempting the technique without her permission. He hated to disappoint her – but it was different, he argued, as he filtered his chakra out the pores of his skin. He wasn't exactly repelling water and he doubted he could replicate that first successful attempt even if he wanted to. It had been instinct, driven by more intuition than guidance. That time, Naruto had known that he couldn't fail, just couldn't because falling behind and becoming a burden sucked worse than scrubbing paint off the Hokage Stone.

This time, he had only one goal; get the pervert's hands off his jacket and his pride.

Jiraiya seemed to sense that something was stirring. Naruto was disgruntled to see that he had a slight smile, as if this was what he wanted to see. Had he unknowingly allowed himself to be manipulated into the man's intentions? Did it really matter anymore?

_Just push it out and mould it, _the ghost of Sakura's advice whispered in his consciousness. Naruto obliged. He gathered his chakra and forced it out… but before he could mould it, he was yanked away from Jiraiya's grasp, sent spinning through the air until he crash-landed several metres away. _What the hell?_

Naruto jumped to his feet, brushing himself off, and then turned back. Jiraiya had not moved from his spot, but the grass around him was leaning away, as if it had been pushed back by some force. The white-haired man appeared to be frowning for a moment, but quickly shifted his expression into one of amusement. His arm was still extended in front of him, his palm flat; it seemed that he had released his load in time to prevent any unwelcome collisions on his part. Faint wisps of Naruto's chakra swirled around him for a short moment, and then dissipated.

"Who taught you that one, kid?" Jiraiya asked.

"My sensei; it was supposed to be a chakra control exercise." Naruto stared down at his hands. What had gone wrong? "It hasn't exploded like that before, though. There was that first time I tried and the chakra just stayed in the air… but this time; _boom_." He shook his head. It was likely some malfunction on his part. Kurenai-sensei had already told him that the Kyuubi's chakra interfered with his ability to control his own.

Then he remembered his company; Jiraiya's silence gave him away. "Wait a minute. Why am I telling you this?" Unless the pervert was an actual ninja, there was no real point in explaining to him – and even if he was some 'legendary Sannin', Naruto would bet his miso broth that he was a bad influence. For someone whose sensei was one Yuuhi Kurenai, that was generally something to avoid. Sensei was scary when defending her gender rights and the innocent virginity of her students' minds.

Naruto swallowed. "You know what? I'm just gonna go now… right, see ya!"

It wasn't much of a grand escape, really. Jiraiya had Shunshin'd them close to the lake and it was only a light jog down the bank to the wider and deeper regions. Naruto stumbled a few times whilst glancing at the water's surface to check if he was being followed, but the old pervert just stood there, arms crossed over his chest. It was hard to tell from the distance and the wavering of the reflection but Naruto was fairly certain that the older man was smirking as if there was no place in the world a genin could hide from him.

He felt a little safer after he had stopped at an appropriate spot and conjured a batch of two dozen clones. They had defeated a traitorous chuunin before, surely they could handle a creepy pervert. Naruto felt a little uncomfortable for leaving the guy like that – he was always being told to be polite and well-mannered toward strangers, usually by Sakura. It apparently helped kindle a positive image. _Ah well, too late for that._

Indeed it was. Naruto realised that he had spent an invaluable fifteen minutes dealing with Jiraiya. He no longer had the full hour he had allocated himself to improve on the new jutsu. If his teammates were on time – and they generally were – he had little over half an hour left. Naruto fumed as he lined his clones up by the river's edge. "We got to make for the lost time, okay?" he called out to his duplicates. "Let's get this done!"

"Yosh! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Streams of heat erupted on either side of the Naruto. The clones were positioned roughly a metre apart but the flames licked at their neighbours and created a suicidal oven. Before the real Naruto could even launch his own fireball, he was throwing his hands up and yelling, "Okay, okay! Stop! You're all too clo – I said _stop_!" He ducked as a clone several spaces to his right swivelled his head around to listen to his command. That was all good and well – except for the fire that was still spouting from his mouth. His neighbours managed to yelp before they were incinerated, giving Naruto sufficient warning to save himself from having to purchase new clothes.

"Idiot!" he scolded. He glanced around warily before straightening again. "If those clones had been real people, you would have killed them."

"Ne, what's the big deal? You sound like Saku-" The nearest Naruto look-alike shoved a fist at his head before the offending clone could suffer a more painful fate. The original Naruto was growling in a dangerously low tone; the other clones decided that the sacrifice of one mouthy comrade was light punishment compared to a heated and downright laborious original.

"So rude," Naruto sighed. Shaking his head, he handed out more orders. "Spread out a bit more, guys. We'll be having each other for lunch if the fire burns like that… yeah, that's right – a bit more. Yeah, yeah, about that much. What's that? Two metres? Yup, two metres. Make sure you've got two metres."

Once all safety precautions had been taken care of, the Narutos got down to work. The real one stood at the end of the line, further away than the others. His clones' attempts of the jutsu varied pitifully; some exploded magnificently to fall short of four metres and others spewed out weak sputtering flames that easily surpassed eight. As Kurenai had already told them, it was all a matter of control.

It was much easier said than done. Naruto could relate after the first two of his own attempts. Too much chakra would wreck havoc with shaping and stretching it, whereas too little produced basically the same effect a couple of lit matches would. Maybe he could ask Kiba; he seemed to have the basics worked out…

Naruto was thoughtful as his hands flicked into the familiar seals and he gathered a bundle of chakra, coating his lips, funnelling it with the fire element. Once the chakra left his main coils, he hurriedly scrambled to arrange them in the manner required. This took up most of his concentration.

As such, he failed to notice Jiraiya until he was standing directly behind him. "Oho! So you know the Kage Bunshin too, eh?"

Thankfully, Naruto had already been in the process of discharging the fireball, and only suffered from minor blisters in his mouth when he closed it in surprise, trapping the residue of the jutsu and heated chakra. His helpful demon was already healing the damage, but the heat was still uncomfortable and Naruto did _not_ appreciate it. He half-expected to see smoke coming out of his ears and mouth.

"You crazy person!" he yelled, whipping around to jab an accusing finger at an amused Jiraiya. "You could have made me cook my organs!"

Jiraiya grinned. "Ah, but that'd be your fault, wouldn't it?"

"How did you jump onto _that_ square?"

"A good ninja would be able to absorb, redirect or stop their chakra before it could hurt them." Jiraiya struck another dramatic pose that differed to his first one only in its superior travesty. "Like me, for example."

Naruto paused in the middle of fanning his blistered lips to roll his eyes. "What do _you_ know about Fire jutsu?" He intentionally emphasised his distaste of the man's claims of his skill. Unfortunately, where he had intended for it to be an offending jab, Jiraiya took it to be challenge and thumpeda fist to his chest.

"What do _I_ know?" he repeated, and threw his head back to laugh. One of Naruto's clones raised a hand to his head and twirled a finger close to his temple, rolling his eyes. His neighbour nodded in agreement. "I'm a LegendarySannin, kid. I've seen more jutsus than you've beautiful ladies. But of course, I beat you in that department, too."

"My sensei says that the best way to prove something is to shut your mouth and actually do it," Naruto pointed out. "Prove that you're this legendary salami."

Jiraiya was highly offended. He brandished an indignant fist at the ignorant genin. "It's _Sannin_, gaki!" he hissed through his teeth. "_San-nin_ – not _salami!_"

"_Fiiine, _a sala… _Sannin,_ then."

It wasn't until a competitive two minutes of glares later that Jiraiya, grumbling, raised his hands to run through a series of handseals that formed a combination Naruto did not recognise. His fingers were nimble and threaded through the seals quickly and efficiently, and before Naruto had any warning, a stream of flame was lashing out along the river bank. While he was a safe distance away from the assault, the same could not be said for the shadow clones. Well over a dozen of them were crisped out of existence.

Naruto tried to catch the fleeting seconds of their memories – it was harder to collect them when such a large quantity was being dispersed. He didn't find the need to comb for finer details. All of the clones had witnessed the same fate; a flaming dragon's head tearing through their ranks, promptly followed by a flash of white-hot heat. The jutsu stretched for several yards before it sizzled into the air, leaving a trail of charred grass as the only indication that it had been there at all.

Whatever the technique was, Naruto decided that he did not want to be on the receiving end of its user's wrath.

He glanced back at Jiraiya. The man had his hands on his hips and was grinning with self-satisfaction. Naruto felt a wary sense of unease. This old pervert really was a ninja – a powerful one at that. He hadn't even uttered the name of jutsu, demonstrating his high level of dexterity in chakra manipulation.

Naruto gulped. This Legendary Salami was dangerous.

And he had an ego the size of Naruto's meal after hours of training with Yamane Takara.

"Your little fireball is just the first stepping stone for Fire jutsus. Now if you can get that right, you can eventually work your way up to something as beautiful as that baby." Jiraiya puffed out his chest and looked down expectantly at the short blonde genin.

"That was… hot…" Naruto immediately regretted saying that. It was disturbing to see a man with a head of white hair – a lot of it – punch the air in triumph and prance around like a fresh Academy graduate, but there really were not many points that remained which denied him the title of the great ninja he claimed to be.

Even more annoying was Naruto's unexplainable urge to join the baka in clapping his hands in the air and clicking his inexistent geta together. _Now _there's_ a guy who might join me for a prank…_ He irritably derailed that train of thought. "So you're really this Legendary whatever?"

"Hmm?" Jiraiya looked over his shoulder, pausing in his self-congratulations. "Why of course! I am the great Jiraiya-sama!" Once again, he invited Naruto to roll his eyes as he arranged his body into yet another varied and completely hopeless pose. Then he cleared his throat and, as if he had _not_ just made a complete fool of himself, crossed his arms over his chest, asking suggestively, "What, you have something to _ask_ me?"

Naruto scolded himself for hesitating. He knew the jutsu Jiraiya had used was well out of his league. His grasp on Fire jutsu in general could do with some improving. He would be a no-brainer to even think about trying to learn something as advanced as that. He would never hear the end of Kurenai-sensei's lecture.

But then, it was just so _cool_!

No… he didn't need to be taught by a pervert… did he? Not even if said pervert was apparently very strong and _might_ be able to help him with his Goukakyuu no Jutsu … and possibly more.

Why _didn't_ he need to be taught by a pervert?

"Ne, ne, Ero-sennin," Naruto said slowly. The indignant side of him was grappling at his conscience, screaming for him to stop. _Just for a day,_ Naruto argued with himself. _If he can help me with my jutsu it wouldn't hurt…_

"What?" Jiraiya sounded bored now, nonchalant. Naruto resisted the urge to grind his teeth; the _nerve_ of that guy! He swallowed it.

"You know the Great Fireball Jutsu, right?"

"I might."

Naruto was on the brink of leaving then and there. This Jiraiya was very irritating for someone who was supposed to be some strong ninja. "Can you give me a few… tips?" _There, I said it._

Surprisingly, Jiraiya's head did not swell over the request. Instead, he gave the blonde genin a once over, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and scowled to the sky. Learning to master a jutsu was one thing – being treated like an amateur and thoughtless kidwas another.

"So," Jiraiya said. Naruto glanced at him and found the man to be smirking, "how much time have we got?"

* * *

Kiba was quick to duck under the clawed swipe that lashed out at his head but his opponent was faster, and he caught a solid knee to the gut before he could retaliate. He coughed and rolled away, rubbing his stomach and glaring at his victorious adversary. "Change your definition of 'friendly spar' to 'punchbag session', why don't you?" he grumbled.

Hana swept her ponytail over her shoulder and leaned over the fallen genin. She was grinning. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who was bragging about how strong he was getting. Aren't I allowed to test?"

"Yeah right. You're just getting back at me for nipping some of your shampoo last night."

"Don't forget the conditioner."

"It's not my fault the dogs steal _my_ shampoo and conditioner!"

"And it's supposed to be my fault that a _strong_ ninja like you can't even keep an eye on his hair products?"

"You – I…" For a moment, Kiba just opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. Hana looked very unimpressed. "Why do you always have to be so mean?" he complained finally.

She smiled in that way Kiba was certain she had spent hours, _years_, in front of the mirror perfecting. How else could she smile in that… sisterly way that made him warm and shudder with anticipation at the same time? "Why does it bother you so much?" she asked.

Kiba didn't even bother opening his mouth this time.

Hana laughed. "Come on, brother. Up." She reached down and picked him up underneath his arms, setting him on his feet. Kiba glared at her as if daring her to try and kiss his bruises like she always did whenever she felt like embarrassing him. She paused, and folded her arms in front of her chest. "I _was_ going to heal you but I don't feel like it anymore."

"Eh?! Nee-chan!"

"What's the word?" she asked teasingly.

"Bitch."

She flicked his forehead and turned to walk away.

"_Ow_! Well, it's the truth… okay, okay – _please_!"

"Baby," Hana commented five minutes later, when she was deactivating her jutsu and her not-animal patient was pulling his jacket back on. One of the Haimaru triplets had wandered into the grounds while she had been doctoring Kiba and she absently rubbed him behind the ears. The dog licked her hand and settled his head on her lap.

Kiba ignored her, instead reaching up to tighten the bands of his forehead protector. He couldn't really suppress the rebellious tug of his lips curving into a smile, so he distractedly turned his face up to the sky, hoping to divert attention – and in doing so discovered that the sun had risen higher than he had expected. "Oh crap!" he exclaimed, causing Hana to look up in surprise and her dog to yelp.

"What's wrong?" Hana asked, in the midst of calming her distressed canine. Then she remembered the announcement over dinner the previous night. "Oh, right. You're late. Again."

"I know!" Kiba disappeared inside for a short moment, sandals clattering out onto the porch. He returned with a disgruntled Akamaru on his heels and shoved his feet back into his shoes. "Ja ne!" He waved hurriedly and ran toward the compound's gates.

She watched him leave. "Bye," she murmured. Hana sighed and ran her fingers through her dog's grey fur. She rubbed both sides of his head. "Boys. They're so simple-minded. Oh wait, you're a boy too, aren't you?"

The dog barked an affirmative and playful tackled her. Hana laughed as she was thrown back onto the wooden planks of the porch and assaulted by her companion's warm, wet tongue. This was why she loved dogs so much – and it barely had anything to do with her clan's trademark specialty. Canines were loyal once you proved yourself to be trustworthy. Their minds were a lot more spartan and easier to understand; when a dog was happy, it wagged its tail, when mad, it barked and snarled.

Much easier to understand than little brothers.

Hana was aware of another presence behind her as she sat up again, her dog's paws rested on her knees. "Hello, Mom."

"Has Kiba gone out?"

"Just now."

"Little mutt. I was going to tell him to get me some more saké, too." Inuzuka Tsume was a sturdy woman who was feared by her comrades and opponents for her ferocity and feral techniques. In battle, only the green jounin vest could tell her apart from her partner Kuromaru. Her children feared her for her cooking. "It's day off for him as well, isn't it? Where is he running off to?"

"He's meeting with his teammates." Tsume had just returned from a mission the previous day and had favoured rest over dinner, so she was not informed of Kiba's activities.

"Hmm. The Uzumaki boy?"

"And Sakura," Hana added. "His name is Naruto by the way."

"I know that," her mother murmured.

Hana's brow furrowed. Tsume was being uncharacteristically speculative, and Hana did not like the older woman's particular singling out of Naruto. She had been paying closer attention to matters relating to Naruto lately and it put her at ill ease to see the same hesitation from her own mother. While Tsume was not discriminating Naruto in any way, Hana had noticed displays of close to no subtlety in other clan members whenever Kiba spoke about his teammate. What had Naruto _done_?

"He's a nice boy."

"Mm?" Tsume glanced at her daughter. "Did you say something?"

"He's a nice boy," Hana repeated. "Naruto. He doesn't deserve the treatment he gets." She was reluctant to steel herself against battle against her own mother, but when it came to defending one of her pack, Inuzuka Hana would not leave behind any bones for the picking.

Tsume regarded the child she had raised into a woman. Quite a passionate woman, at that, she noted dryly. Hana drew her mouth into a grim line and returned the stare. "You've grown attached to the gaki, haven't you?"

"Mother, I…"

Tsume held up a hand and Hana bit off the words that would have followed. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing; I suppose it's natural for you since you see him close to every morning." Her daughter lowered her gaze. "I'm just curious… what is this Uzumaki Naruto like?"

"Naruto is a… very bright boy," Hana said carefully. She grimaced when Tsume arched an eyebrow. "Mom, is there something… _unique_ about Naruto?"

As a chuunin, Hana was well attuned to the subtle movements of the body that reflected a person's thoughts and intentions. Tsume turning her head slightly to stare at the gates spoke volumes. "You seem to care quite a bit for Uzumaki, Hana," Tsume observed. "Kiba talks about him quite a bit as well. Is he really that likeable?"

"You might say that he is very socially adept," Hana relented.

Tsume chuckled. "You always were the bookworm. You learn more from those scraps than you do from your own mother."

"True… but what you taught, I remember. Mother, you told me to trust my gut. My gut… my whole being… is telling me that there is absolutely no way that Naruto deserves the discrimination that he is receiving. The villagers aren't exactly friendly to him. But he… he smiles at them. Whatever he is being blamed for, Naruto is not responsible for it. I know it. I can _smell_ it."

Once again, Inuzuka Tsume was forced to acknowledge that her daughter was no longer the quiet and reliant child she had once been. Hana clearly cared very much for the Uzumaki kid. Judging from her protectiveness, she cared deeply for Kiba's other teammate as well. The genins of Kurenai's team were very closely intertwined with Hana.

What made Tsume pause and think before answering was her awareness of her daughter's personality. Hana would not voice or accuse something unless she was absolutely certain that she was correct in her judgement. When defending something she considered important, Hana fought like an Inuzuka. And Inuzukas fought _hard._

"So tell me…" Tsume was aware of the tension when her companion stiffened. "What does he smell like?"

Hana stared, but she visibly relaxed. By steering the conversation to more stable ground, Tsume had levelled the points and silently admitted to withdrawing. "_Mom_," Hana said pointedly.

"You said you could smell it."

"I didn't mean it _literally._"

"But I do. Well?"

Tsume persisted with what Hana knew was skilfully forged interest. In the end, Hana gave in. "Ramen."

For a short moment, Tsume just blinked. Then she threw back her head and gave a short bark of laughter. There was an inevitable upward tug to Hana's lips. "By Kami's word," Tsume chuckled, "this boy sounds interesting."

"He is."

"Really now?" The elder Inuzuka woman rose to her feet. "Then I suppose I'll just have to see for myself sometime. Tell me when Kiba gets back."

Hana watched her mother retreat inside, and for a long time after the doors had slid shut she stared at the shallow gouge in the ground where Kiba had fallen during their spar.

* * *

Tanaka Noboru must have very little company during the day, Sakura decided as she stood at the man's shop. He seemed to take very deep interest in her. _Not in that way_, she thought hastily to herself. Actually, that was one of the factors that intrigued her the most. Tanaka seemed to be more interested in her training with Kurenai-sensei than the way her neckline dipped a little lower than usual without the jacket she had omitted. Nor did he appear to be very engrossed in the ryou she was trying to hand him for the pieces of fruit she had picked out.

He waved it away. "Just take it."

"But that… it isn't right…"

"This isn't how I make my living, girl. I won't starve without a few ryou." Tanaka leaned forward on one elbow, his wooden leg tapping against the crate by his foot. "Or do you think I am incapable of that?"

Sakura quickly ducked her head. "No, no," she said rapidly, "that isn't what I meant. I just thought-"

"Ah, it doesn't matter, eh?" There was no room to disagree. Sakura hesitantly nodded. Tanaka chuckled. "Got anywhere you think you should be, Haruno Sakura?"

It prompted Sakura to remember that, before she had decided to prepare food for at least an hour of conjuring Fire jutsus, she had been heading down to the lake to meet up with her friends. She told the grocer so. Tanaka looked thoughtful when she informed him of the jutsu they were going to practice.

"You won't have a problem with it," he decided after a while.

"Actually, I wasn't very successful…"

"You'll get it soon." Seeing Sakura's confusion, Tanaka elaborated. "Your chakra control is a little more defined than other genins your age. You need enough chakra to make a bit fireball, sure, but you can make one big enough to be proud of if you know how to control your chakra flow enough to produce the strongest effect. Just ask Kurenai; she doesn't have nearly enough chakra as Sandaime, but she gets the most out of her techniques." He shrugged. "Mad control if you ask me. I've heard that Hatake is better, though."

Hatake … Sakura recognised the name. Hatake Kakashi. Team Seven's jounin sensei. _Sasuke's_ sensei. Her hand clenched that much tighter around the bag in her hands. She hadn't seen much of Sasuke – hadn't seen him at all since… that time. That time when she had been elated to be travelling with his team and had only ended up hurting Naruto.

The scratched surface of the counter faded out of Sakura's focus. She had promised to Naruto that she would make it up to him – and she was gradually fulfilling that. It was miraculous to discover that her fist wasn't required nearly as many times as she had utilised it and sometimes Sakura even found herself laughing at her teammate's antics. Being with Team Eight was somehow breathtaking. The way Kiba teased, Naruto laughed and Kurenai-sensei smiled was very familiar and nostalgic to Sakura. They felt like a second family.

She didn't want to hurt them. But Sasuke-kun_…_ what would she do when she saw him again?

Politely, distractedly, excusing herself and wandering away from Tanaka's stand faintly registered to Sakura as she found herself walking down a worn path with the lake gradually flowing into sight. She bore a frown on her features.

_Maybe Naruto is right,_ she brooded, drawing on his words. _Sasuke isn't very good for me_. He certainly did not seem to be. He had done nothing but scowl upon the gifts and affection she had tried to force onto him. Not to mention that he had been the cause of her dispute with Naruto. Of course, she had no one to blame but herself. Sakura was aware that she had been the one-sided engine of their 'relationship'. It would not be fair to say that _Sasuke_ had caused her to fall out with Naruto…

Sakura shook her head. Some days, she just hated herself so much.

Kiba was nowhere to be seen when Sakura walked down the lake's bank until she came to Naruto's site. She supposed that the Inuzuka boy was late or that she was early. By all means, _Naruto_ was the one early. Sakura was impressed to see that he had already summoned a squadron of shadow clones to practice the technique, and was even more stunned when she saw that her knucklehead of a teammate had somehow improved drastically overnight.

His fireballs were not as solid and advanced as Kurenai's, of course, but they still stretched out further than his limit the last time Sakura had seen him. The flames coalesced to become a large blazing sphere that radiated heat and strength. In terms of general success, Naruto was nowhere near perfection, yet he certainly had exceeded Sakura's expectations. Just two days ago, he had been struggling as much as Sakura had trouble keeping up with his ramen intake.

For him to reach this stage so efficiently and in such a short span of time… Sakura was once again forced to acknowledge that Uzumaki Naruto was amazing.

Eventually he noticed her standing there. He hesitated first, then rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" he said brightly, bounding over to her.

She returned the greeting and held the bag of fruit out to him. He enthusiastically took out a pear and started munching on it. After a while, Naruto dispersed his clones and the two of them sat down by the lake's edge, sandals tossed behind them, legs of their trousers rolled up and their feet trailing in the cool water.

"How long have you been here?" Sakura asked as she peeled an orange.

Naruto shrugged. "Not very long. Less than an hour." She nodded vaguely as it sank in that he had achieved such progress in a short amount of time. He poked around in the plastic bag, grinning as he drew out another pear. He seemed to favour them. "If Kiba doesn't get here soon they'll all be gone."

Sakura smiled faintly. "He'll throw a fit."

"Yeah."

"… Naruto?"

"Mm?"

"How do you get so strong?" It caught him off guard. He stared at her for a moment, and then lowered his gaze. Sakura spoke up again, softly. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu is harder than Soul Brand Seal… but you're already this far ahead." _Of me,_ she added silently.

There was an awkward silence. Naruto splashed the water lightly with his feet. "I had help," he admitted after a while.

Sakura turned her head to him, more surprised than uncomfortable. "From who? Iruka-sensei?" She doubted Kurenai would favour Naruto over her other students to help him in private.

To her surprise, Naruto laughed. "Oh yeah, I should have asked him. I'm such an idiot." His laughter softened into a chuckle as Sakura continued to stare. "No, it was some other guy. He gave me a few pointers."

"Who?"

"Um…" A faint glimpse of the playful Naruto sparked in the form of a sheepish grin. "I'm not sure if I should tell you…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "_Naruto._" The old Sakura would have long since walloped the sense out of him. Such violence had become so integrated into her everyday reactions that Sakura was appalled to find her hands clenching into fists whenever Naruto did something particularly stupid. Fortunately, she managed to suppress the urge… and only managed to hit her foolish teammate – sometimes even Kiba – when she had valid reason.

Naruto seemed to realise this. "Okay, okay… you remember Otafuku Gai?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well, remember the inn?"

Another nod.

"And the old man who peeked on you… the ladies bath?"

A stiff inclination of her head.

"Yeah… him." He resisted the urge to cringe and leap for shelter when Sakura's face paled dangerously fast. She hadn't exploded on him yet so he grasped the opportunity to explain.

"Wait, Sakura-chan, listen to this first. This guy, Jiraiya, says he's a Legendary Salami – no wait, _Sannin_. I didn't believe him at first, but then he showed me this really cool jutsu and he looked like he knew what he was doing." Naruto gestured at the blackened strip several yards from their position. "He made that." As Sakura's eyes widened at the length and intensity of the jutsu, he went on. "I was having a bit of trouble so I asked him for some help. That's all, I swear."

There was a pause. "Naruto," Sakura began, and he gulped. "You don't have to make it your responsibility to tell me what you do every day. Even if you do meet the most disturbing strangers, it's your life." Her voice was solemn and informative. Naruto fidgeted.

"You aren't mad, are you, Sakura?"

"We're teammates, aren't we?"

Startled by the direct inquiry, Naruto quickly replied with a hasty "Hai."

"Friends?"

"Of course!"

Unnoticed by her companion, Sakura's smile grew a little tighter. "As teammates and friends, no one should have more power than the other. We're all equal, right? You shouldn't have to feel afraid of me." She paused. "And really, I couldn't care less who you hang around with."

"Really?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

"Really," his friend confirmed. Sakura smiled as she handed him a piece of orange. "So, is this Jiraiya person any good?"

"He wasn't as bad as I thought he would be. He helped me a bit. Like, if I pretended to be blowing a raspberry when I did the jutsu, the fireball would be bigger and go further. But then it was harder to control so he told me to start moulding my chakra before it left my mouth…" Naruto realised that he was talking too much but when he glanced at his companion, Sakura did not appear to be irritated.

"Sounds like you learned quite a lot," she observed.

"You could say that."

"Do you think you could show me and Kiba what you learned?"

Naruto grinned. "Sure! And tomorrow, we'll show Kurenai-sensei how strong we are, yeah?"

"Deal."

It wasn't until another ten minutes later that Kiba arrived with Akamaru. He noticed that his teammates were a little more cheerful than usual despite his lateness and it made him smile as Naruto tossed an apple his way. His lips pulled into a scowl when Akamaru leapt off his head and intercepted before the fruit could reach him. But his friends laughed, and Kiba spent a good five minutes chasing his dog around just to revel in their comforting presence.

Inuzuka Kiba would sooner swallow Akamaru's treasured bone buried in his garden than admit that he loved his team like hell.

* * *

For the umpteenth time, Yuuhi Kurenai mentally ran through a sequence of very colourful words to emphasise her extreme displeasure of having to support one drunken Mitarashi Anko home after yet another night of discovering her friend drowned in saké. Not that any of the dwindling population that still wandered on the streets could tell that she was highly annoyed. Kurenai had very good rein on her emotions and only the slightest twitch of her lips or the furrowing of her brow gave her away to the few shinobi she was unlucky enough to encounter.

The _nerve_ of Sarutobi Asuma to offer his help when he had spotted Kurenai dragged her fellow kunoichi past the barbeque house.

"I think he likesh you," Anko slurred as they left him behind. The special jounin had one arm slung around Kurenai's neck, the other side of her irresponsive body hanging over the edge. Kurenai shifted her grip and let her friend sloppily hold herself up when they reached Anko's small apartment.

"Don't talk nonsense," she muttered, her voice tight. A sharp spike of chakra effectively negated the lock's purpose of keeping people out. This was Anko's method of getting inside her own home; Kurenai suspected that the sadistic woman had lost her keys within the first week of possession. "Come on, Anko."

As it was part of the jounins' barracks, Anko's apartment had limited space. This was a thankful blessing for Kurenai since it did not require going through the ridiculous task of carrying Anko up any stairs. It took only a few minutes for Kurenai to get the drunken woman dressed in proper sleeping clothes and tucked into bed. Unfortunately, her friend seemed intent on getting her point across.

"You can shee it. Ashuma-"

"Good_night_, Anko." Kurenai dropped the wet cloth onto her friend's forehead. The cool moisture worked its magic… like all the other times Kurenai found herself bound with babysitting duty. Minutes later, Anko was snoring and her guest was heading for the door.

Kurenai sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Five nights out of seven, on the days she didn't have any missions, Anko was cleaning out her pockets for alcohol. Being one of her closer friends, Kurenai supposed that she could empathise; Anko had been put through horrible events and was commonly plagued by restless sleep. Beer did not help to forget but it did give the illusion that life was a lot better than it actually was. As a genjutsu mistress, Kurenai knew better than anyone.

Dwelling on something as dark as that, it was no wonder that the kunai found its way so easily to Kurenai's tensed grasp when she left Anko's apartment and came face to face with the silhouette of a tall figure leaning against the railing.

"Interesting night activities," a deep voice noted.

Stowing her weapon away, Kurenai said, "I'm surprised you found your way here."

"I'm not a spymaster for nothing," Jiraiya chuckled. He unfolded his arms and nodded down the hallway. "I've been staying in one of the spare rooms. Mind joining me for a cup of saké?"

"Not at all… assuming this concerns Naruto?" No woman short of Mitarashi Anko would willingly walk into a room with Jiraiya's solitary presence – and even then Anko would likely repay his hospitality with a couple of well-placed snakes.

The white-haired man sighed dramatically. "Please, give me a little credit. I can see that you're taken."

Kurenai decided that, second only to the time Anko had transformed into her after losing a bet with a colleague and had spent the day very suggestively communicating with the male population of Konoha, this was the most embarrassing day of her life. "You were talking about saké?" she reminded tightly.

Jiraiya chuckled.

As it turned out, the Sannin kept very good saké. Kurenai allowed herself to sample only two small cups, keeping in mind that while she could hold her own to a respectable limit, her tolerance to alcohol was pitifully short of Anko's – and only Kami knew what hour the latter would regain consciousness. Jiraiya was hospitable enough and thankfully went straight to the topic after serving the drinks.

"I saw Naruto at the lake today," he said.

Kurenai nodded. "I heard that he was going to train with his teammates."

"I helped him with his jutsu." Jiraiya calmly took a drink from his cup. "I had a bit of a peek at his seal. It seems to be doing its job pretty well. His reserves are larger than I expected at this stage so it interferes with his chakra control, but he can get around that with time." He glanced at Kurenai. "In fact, his control is better than I would have thought him capable of. You had him working on it?"

"It was one of the first skills I tried to develop," she confirmed. "He initially failed his graduation exam after producing a useless clone. With chakra reserves that allow him to create hundreds of _shadow clones_, he can make good use out of that amount. It would be foolish to let his control of it remain the way the Academy instructors had left it."

Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "It doesn't seem like he was treated like the hero Yondaime intended him to be."

"No, I would say not." There was an inevitable coldness in Kurenai's tone.

"You know about the kid's background?" Jiraiya did not wait for an answer. "Well, of course you do. You're his sensei, eh? He talks about you a lot. Kurenai-sensei this, my sensei that." He paused and regarded the jounin evenly. "To be honest, I thought Sarutobi-sensei would give him to Kakashi." His tone did not hold resentment or dissatisfaction, merely intrigue that Kurenai could not overlook.

"He was going to be placed on his squad," she said. "He had difficulties graduating and became a genin several hours after his classmates and was to be placed on Kakashi's team to even the numbers. I intervened and transferred him onto mine in exchange for one of my assigned students."

"And what made you do that? I'd hazard a guess that Naruto wasn't the brightest of the grade."

Kurenai did not think that confessing to have been drawn to the boy would suffice. "I saw that he had talent. As it is, I believe that Naruto has developed a very close and balanced relationship with his teammates."

To his credit, Jiraiya did not question the matter any further. "Surprised me he did, that gaki," he admitted, changing the topic. "Not only did he know the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, he was pretty much on the point of unleashing a fledged chakra shield on me. Interesting shape."

"I told him not to use it without my permission," Kurenai sighed, shaking her head. She was not nearly as irked by her pupil's disobedience as she expected herself to be. After all, Naruto was a magnet for situations that required him to break rules. "He accidentally developed it during a chakra control exercise. Instead of flowing the water around him, he forced out too much chakra and moulded it into a makeshift chakra shield."

"From what I saw before I stopped it, that little stunt of his was starting to look a bit like the Hyuuga's Kaiten. He wasn't spinning though so that's a bit different… call it a maelstrom." Jiraiya chuckled at the pun. "It's a bit earlier than I accounted for but… I'll start helping Naruto's training along. With a resident like his, he'll need it. I might eventually teach him a defence jutsu, maybe an Earth one, so he doesn't have to rely on the chakra shield."

He smiled at her. "And don't worry, I'm not stealing your student. Go ahead with life the way it was before I made my grand entrance. I'll just be there to give him a few nudges in the right direction for now. He'll come when he needs me."

Kurenai could tell that the conversation was drawing to a close. "Have you already arranged meetings with Naruto?"

"Nope."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then…"

Jiraiya grinned. "The kid will come running someday. He knows good stuff when he sees it." He raised the saké bottle. "One more cup?"

"Thank you."

"Nice saké … got it from a friend of mine in Red Bean Country." Jiraiya swirled the liquid in his cup before gulping it down in one go. "I heard the Chuunin Exams are coming up."

"The Hokage is calling a meeting soon." And for some reason, Kurenai did not feel like attending it.

"Are you going to let your team take them?"

It was a good question. Kurenai had spent some time brooding on it. By qualifications, her genins had completed much more than eight missions. However, as the simple tasks had not prepared them for violence or, ultimately, death, their mentor was hesitant to put their names forward.

"I am still thinking about it," she answered finally.

Jiraiya nodded. "Fair enough. If you ask me, though, I think it would be a good shot of experience for them. Even if they will probably end up failing they'll be a little more prepared the next time around. And if I know Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma, they'll let their teams take the exam." He grinned ruefully. "Hell, I wouldn't want to be there when Naruto finds out he's being left out."

_That leaves me little choice, doesn't it?_ Kurenai mused to herself. "I will let them decide," she concluded. "If they want to take the exam, I will sponsor their participation. If they don't, I will not force them. They must feel that they are ready."

Jiraiya smiled enigmatically. "You teach like Minato did."

"Is that to be interpreted as praise?"

"Something of the calibre. You're doing a pretty good job, Yuuhi Kurenai."

Kurenai merely smiled and reached for the saké bottle.

* * *

"I swear… cows hate me."

Sakura glanced at her teammate over the broad back of the cow she was milking. "Did you say something?"

"Cows," Kiba said again, rattling his empty bucket. "They hate me. I'm not getting any milk out of this one or the one before that or the one before _that_."

"Maybe you're doing it wrong. Don't you remember how the man showed us?"

"Yeah, but it's not working." Kiba got up and kicked at his stool, grumbling. "This is stupid." He gazed enviously at Naruto's direction. "Why does he get to get out of it? I bet his clones could have finished this for us in ten seconds flat."

"And he would cause trouble in _two _seconds flat," Sakura pointed out. She flicked one of her pigtails over her shoulder, the jade ring brushing heavily against her back. "That's why Kurenai-sensei has him helping her with the fence."

Opening and closing his mouth for a moment, Kiba eventually resorted to a defeated sigh. "I hate it when you're right." He tugged futilely at the cow's udders, succeeding only in an annoyed moo and the animal shuffling away from him. He gave up. He gazed at the backs of Naruto and Kurenai-sensei, labouring over the farm's bordering fence. Some several minutes of observation later, Naruto mistook his thumb for a nail and shot up in pain. His loud yelps made Kiba chuckle.

"He's one hell of a guy."

Sakura had been drawn to the blonde boy's latest antics by the amount of noise he was making. "What do you mean?" she asked without looking away. Kurenai had grabbed Naruto by both shoulders and made him sit down so she could inspect the damage. Sakura doubted there was much need; Naruto healed freakishly fast.

"Today he's a total idiot but just yesterday he was teaching us how to properly use a Fire jutsu," Kiba pointed out wryly. None of the genins had actually mastered the technique in the two hours they had spent pouring over it – but that was not to say that they had not improved. Naruto's tips had been surprisingly handy, and after revision with Kurenai earlier this morning, Kiba felt confident enough to use Goukakyuu no Jutsu against an average opponent.

Probably the most enjoyable part of sweating and wearing himself out to learn the jutsu was the fun they'd had. Kiba smiled when he remembered their focus when practicing and the contrast of their behaviour while sitting down for a break. Over the fruit Sakura had brought with her, they had teased and splashed each other with water. Once, the boys had even teamed up and cornered Sakura in a ticklish assault. The best thing was that she didn't even try to hit them when she was finally let up.

"Naruto did this," he murmured to himself.

Sakura did not hear him. "He did have some help with the jutsu but he must have caught on pretty quickly. Naruto is always running into the strangest people." At Kiba's lack of response, she looked over at him, finding him staring thoughtfully at the cow's underside. "How are you doing over there, Kiba?"

He raised his head. "Huh? What, the cow?"

"No, the bull. Look, here it comes now."

Kiba actually turned around. "Where? I can't see…" Too late, he realised that he had been had, and his face reddened.

Sure enough, Sakura was giggling uncontrollably. She came close to knocking over her bucket of milk. "You sh-should have… seen your _face_!" she gasped out, bursting into laughter when Kiba scowled.

"You suck," he grumbled. Too bad Akamaru was too busy staying away from the animals to formulate another tickling fit to punish his all too intelligent friend. "And I'm doing very badly, thanks for asking."

Gradually, Sakura pulled rein on her amusement. The corners of her mouth kept twitching, the edges of her eyes crinkling. "I'll do your share for you," she offered in a suspiciously bright tone.

"Really?" He played along.

"Only if you round up the sheep."

"Akamaru isn't a sheepdog."

"Of course not. But you are."

"Oh man, I am sooo not treating you to lunch."

"Fine. Except it's my turn today. You have to be nice to me or _I_ won't be treating _you_ to lunch."

"… Damn it."

* * *

As it turned out, Kiba did not join them for lunch at Ichiraku's in the end. Team Eight ran into Hana as they were leaving the Hokage Tower and she persuaded him into running some errands for their clan. Kurenai had left her students to their own devices after dismissing them. There was not much point eating by themselves but after agreeing that the afternoon should not be wasted, Naruto and Sakura found themselves wandering the streets of the village.

Naruto seemed to be in a particularly playful mood, and because she was feeling a little impish under his influence, Sakura bought them an ice cream each.

"Woohoo! Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned. His lips were smeared with chocolate smudges. Sakura wrinkled her nose and slapped a tissue onto his mouth. It stuck fast. Naruto was not pleased. "You're supposed to wipe it off for me," he whined through bits of fluff. "Gently, too. It's what girls do."

"So you're saying I'm not a girl?"

They bantered their way to the next street. Until they came across Team Seven leaving the hospital. Naruto and Sakura stopped upon the sight of them, eyes widening. The members of the squad were without their jounin sensei and looked worse for wear. They were clean and their clothes untarnished, yet there were numerous bandages poking out from under their clothing. Naruto also noticed that they had that air of fatigue surrounding them.

The two members of Team Eight stood there as their classmates walked up to them. Shino was impassive as ever, his hands in his pockets. He walked a little stiffly. Curiously, Hinata did not blush upon sight of Naruto. She lowered her head and trudged along behind her teammates as if she was just not in the spirit to be embarrassed.

Sasuke was a bull. He stopped a metre short from Naruto, glancing unimpressed at the tissue that was still stuck on the shorter boy's lips. "You look ridiculous, dobe," he said deprecatingly.

Naruto was tearing the enlightening addition to his face even before the comment was tossed his way. Sakura beat him to it. "What happened to you?" she asked, and Naruto noticed with discomfort that she seemed to be looking at Sasuke. _Only_ Sasuke. Bitterly recalling the last time they had been in Sasuke Uchiha's company, he lowered his head and gripped the tissue in his hand tighly.

Sakura's heart was… thumping. It made her uneasy. Something about Sasuke told her that now would not be a very good time to throw her arms around him and hope for a warm embrace. Not to mention that Naruto was present. She noticed dejectedly that he seemed to be hurt, the half-eaten ice cream in his hand melting under his lack of attention.

Once again, she was hurting him. She hated, loathed herself for doing that to him. Just minutes earlier, they had been enjoying themselves and now… Sasuke. She was still struggling to come to terms with her feelings for the Uchiha. Seeing him again, especially after single-handedly breaking apart her friendship with Naruto and piecing it back together, Sakura did not know what to do. She could feel her heart fluttering as it always did when she saw her crush, yet she lacked the motivation and interest. But she still yearned to reach out to Sasuke, show him that she was the girl for him…

"That's none of your business," Sasuke muttered irritably. Sakura's eyes widened. Then she remembered her question. Still, it made her wince, and when she took a half-step back, Naruto growled low in his throat.

"She's just asking how you are," he said. "You don't have to be such a bastard about it." Sakura was touched that Naruto was still defending her despite his obvious uneasiness. It made her feel… horrible.

But Sasuke… "Naruto, it's okay," she said quietly, not meeting his disappointed gaze. She stepped up to Sasuke, swallowing. "You just came out of the hospital… are you alright?"

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun… did something happen?" He had a small cut above his cheek. The tissue was in her hands before she could register that she was raising her arm. "The mission… did it go wrong?"

Sasuke flared suddenly. He slapped away her hand, furious. "Don't touch me, you ignorant fool!" he snapped. His features twisted into resentment. "You're annoying."

Sakura's hand stung. Her stomach plunged. Her vision blurred – not with tears, but with the realisation that, after all her efforts, Sasuke truly had no interest in her. She supposed that she should have known, she always had… but… it was still a crushing blow to have it shoved in her face like that. She tried to grab for her ice cream as it slipped from her hand but her fingers were limp.

The waffle cone crumpled and cream flecked the ground.

Naruto was shouting, glaring, at Sasuke. Sakura heard a string of insults, then footsteps as the Uchiha stormed away. Only when she could no longer feel his presence did she raise her head. To her dim surprise, the first thing she saw was Hinata apologetically bowing her head and Shino attempting to explain the situation.

Apparently, Team Seven's mission _had_ gone wrong. Their client had concealed some details of the mission; in all truth, it was an A-rank under the guise of a C-rank. A Mist missing-nin, the leader of the pair that Sakura remembered encountering in the first days of travel, had complicated things. In the end, Team Seven had seen blood and death. A young boy, the missing-nin Momochi Zabuza's subordinate, had given his life to protect his master's, and Zabuza had taken a change of heart, killing the mastermind behind the operation before he fell to his injuries.

"We have just been discharged after a full medical treatment," Shino said quietly. Including his recount of their mission, it was the most words Sakura had heard from the quiet Aburame boy. His voice was low and toneless but she noticed it drop to a whisper when he recalled the deaths. It must have been horrible for them.

For some reason, Sakura could not convince herself that it was the only reason Sasuke had treated her so roughly.

"Sakura?" It was Naruto. Shino and Hinata had gone on their way. "Don't worry about it… he's just being a bastard."

She gave him a small smile. "Can we go train?" she asked in a carefully controlled voice.

He obliged without complaint. They went to their regular training ground and sparred. Naruto's stomach was protesting with hunger but seeing that Sakura seemed less than eager to relent was enough motivation to keep him going.

It was an insult to go easy on her. Naruto retaliated with full force. They took turns throwing each other to the ground and landing the glancing blows. Sakura's lips were compressed into a thin line, her jabs fast but wilder than Naruto remembered them to be. He was concerned when he noticed that she was not crying as he had expected her to be.

She kept pushing the assault until she no longer had any force behind her blows. Naruto gently caught her wrist and eased her down to the ground after almost an hour of what barely qualified as sparring. "I think that's enough, Sakura-chan," he said quietly.

She did not object. She drew her knees to her chest. "Naruto… I feel like an idiot."

Grimacing, he lowered himself to sit down beside her. "How?"

"After all those years, I kept running after Sasuke even though I knew he wasn't interested… but today… he said no again. I saw it a different way. I _am_ annoying, Naruto. He saw people die. Death is real. Compared to that… my crush on him is so childish and _stupid_."

"Crushes aren't stupid." _If they were, what about mine?_

Sakura turned her head and gazed into his eyes. He held them there. "Remember how I said I wouldn't act the same way when I saw him again?" she whispered.

"Yes."

"I failed, Naruto. I'm sorry."

"You didn't fail. I can tell you were actually worried about him."

"But still…"

"It doesn't matter." Naruto smiled. "Because he pushed you away, you should train even harder and show him that you _aren't_ annoying. Your world doesn't have to revolve around him." _Please tell me it won't._

Sakura stared for a moment. Then she leaned over and pinched his cheek. "Wow, you're real."

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Just checking if you are really Naruto."

"Of course I am!"

Her expression evened out again. "You really think I can do it?" she asked softly.

"Definitely. Just leave him behind. Leave _all_ the bad things behind." He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Like me. I just forget all the sad stuff and keep smiling. It makes you a lot happier. Keeps the people around you happy, too." He gave her the widest grin she had seen of him yet. "Come on, Sakura-chan, smile!"

It was infectious. The corners of her mouth were tugging up. "You are such an idiot."

"Hah! If I'm an idiot for being happy then what are you for being sad?"

"I don't know."

"Here, I'll help you." Naruto started tugging at her cheeks. Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Aw, don't look like that! Smile! Smile!"

His midriff looked very tempting… Sakura dived on him, attacking him with fluttering fingers. Naruto fell onto his back and burst out laughing, releasing her immediately. He curled up and flailed about as Sakura moved up to tickle his neck.

"This is payback!" she said triumphantly.

"Oi, stop – haha – stop it! Stop it! Hahahahaha!"

And Sakura laughed.


	12. Bring It On

**Chapter 12 – Bring It On**

Naruto was jittering with nervous energy, and he really did not know where the excess liveliness was coming from. Having spent quite a large portion of his regular sleeping hours brooding over several matters, he was surprised that he had enough energy to roll out of bed that morning, let alone make his way to Sakura's house. He realised now that he needn't have hurried; he was well on schedule.

Glancing at the closed curtains at the front of the house, he wondered if Sakura's parents were awake. He'd never caught sight of them the other occasions when he had picked up their daughter for the team's morning run. Naruto remembered from past conversations that Sakura's father was a businessman of some sort and that her mother was a housewife, but disregarding those details and the few sightings from the Academy, he realised that he barely knew them. Maybe they were nice people… maybe they weren't.

Naruto wasn't taking any chances. He didn't want to cause Sakura any trouble. With a quick burst of chakra, he settled down on the roof of the opposite house, leaning over, watching. He didn't think it was the best idea to be the first thing the elder Harunos saw when they opened their door.

It wasn't until another five minutes later that there was a muffled clicking sound from across the street. Sakura slipped out and locked the door behind her. Perking up, Naruto jumped down to meet her. She greeted him with a smile.

"Hi." He rubbed the back of his neck, grinning slightly. "Uh, I mean, good morning!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You're chipper," she observed. Her tone was light.

"Of course!" They started walking down the street, falling into step. Naruto looked over at his teammate, withdrawing his glances whenever she caught him looking. It didn't help that she seemed to be following his example and was frowning at him every now and then.

It was ridiculous. Even more so that they realised it at the same time.

"Why are you staring at me?"

They stopped walking and blinked at each other. Then Sakura's gaze wandered and her frown deepened. Under her intense stare and his own jumble of emotions pressing at the gates, Naruto started feeling very uncomfortable. And when Uzumaki Naruto was uncomfortable, he talked. Usually, he just made do with whatever was first on his mind. Unfortunately, his first thought at that moment happened to be…

"Sasuke."

Sakura's attention snapped back to him. Her green eyes were wide and clouded with confusion as she stared into his. "What?"

"Sasuke." His first thought… _Oh Kami, not in _that_ way!_ Naruto thought in chagrin. It wasn't even something he should be thinking about in such a situation. Kurenai-sensei often told him to be careful with his words, since he was so clumsy with expressing himself. Seeing Sakura's brow furrow, he knew now what the jounin had been talking about.

"I-I mean…" Naruto was vaguely aware that his hand had taken control and was making wild articulating gestures in the air as he tried to formulate some sort of explanation. Sakura did not look impressed. "What I meant was… yesterday…" It was not working. It just wasn't in his nature to tread carefully. Naruto grimaced, and then took a deep breath. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. You know, after what happened with Sasuke."

She gazed into his eyes for a while. Then she leaned in. Naruto's eyes widened as her arms slipped around his neck; he could feel her braided bangs brush against his cheek. His throat clammed up and suddenly he couldn't even breathe.

Sakura pulled away, seemingly without doing anything. Naruto's hand inched up and rested on the back of his neck, and he ducked his head uncertainly. She gestured. "Your collar was tucked in," she explained. The corner of her mouth was tugging upward in an amused smile.

"Oh. Uh… thanks." He wondered if his cheeks were red. It took him a while to raise his head and make eye contact with her. "So… how are you feeling?"

She tilted her head up to the sky and briefly closed her eyes, the rising sun's glow bathing her in gentle radiance. Her eyes glimmered when they returned attention to his. "I did some thinking," she began quietly. He waited. "I can't pretend it didn't happen, and it's entirely out of question to continue acting the way I used to." She looked wistful. "There was always a gap between us. I just didn't want to see it, and now it's even too wide for me to ignore any longer."

Naruto made sure to nod. Apparently, nodding at the right moment was a sign of a good listener. It made the speaker open up a little, Kurenai-sensei said.

It seemed to work with Sakura. "I thought about many things. Sometimes I felt stupid, but then I would start wondering if I had actually done anything wrong. It's a little frustrating," she admitted.

"Yeah?" Maybe she still valued her adoration to Sasuke. After all, it was just so integrated into Sakura; there was hardly a time he could draw from his memory where she had not been sycophantic with Sasuke. For some reason, that did not make Naruto feel any better.

"Yeah. It'll take some getting used to," she agreed ruefully.

"What will?"

She laughed softly. "I've got Uchiha Sakura written all over the back of my diary. I'm going to erase one every day. Stupid, I know, but this method helped me before." Naruto supposed that it was foolish to think that Sakura's greatest complication in life would be a 'break up' with the boy she loved. "Every day, I'll ease him out, little by little." Sakura smiled at him. "You'll remind me, won't you, Naruto? Every day?"

It took a few seconds of opening and closing his mouth, but when he smiled back, he felt like a lead weight had been removed from the deep pits of his stomach. "Sure. Day one – begin!"

* * *

Kiba was enjoying his morning. Which was odd, since he was usually rather grumpy and inattentive in the early hours; he liked his sleep. Lately, however, Kiba discovered that he was no longer waking up to Hana's exasperated wake up calls, but rather adjusting to the time. At six every morning, his body woke itself up and his mind was abuzz with thoughts of breakfast, figuring out how to get out of brushing his teeth, and meeting up with his teammates before either of them could accuse him of being late.

Oh, he still wanted to sleep in sometimes. Who didn't? It was only human. Kiba grudgingly acknowledged that those urges had been scaled down recently. His leisure time had been eaten up by a rhythm that he was gradually accepting as routine. His day usually ran along the path of getting up to jog with his friends, followed by training with Kurenai-sensei and then going on missions together. If he felt like it, he would join Naruto and Sakura for their taijutsu lesson with Yamane Takara; if he didn't, he would part ways with them and go home to dinner that his sister had prepared.

It was a nice rhythm. Kiba didn't think he would find the desire to alter it anytime soon. It was a peaceful sort of sensation, to wake up to something he looked forward to. He chuckled quietly to himself; it was a corny thing to muse on and he reminded himself that he was hell not mentioning it to anyone.

Presently, the genins of Team Eight were on their 'cooling down' walk after the main run. Today they were walking in a loose formation. Sakura was up the front with Akamaru, playing with him. Kiba followed, and Naruto was a few steps behind. Kiba liked to think that he could feel something tugging them together, a thin thread binding them to each other.

The Inuzuka boy's gaze grew glassy as Sakura's pigtails lifted in the breeze and her laughter floated back to him. He really was enjoying his day so far. Being with his friends was relaxing. It was fun. He liked spending time with them. The day Naruto and Sakura had accepted him, Kiba had vowed that he would fight to prevent this harmony from being disturbed. He did not like the feeling that the fragile threads were being threatened, even if indirectly.

It nagged at him, this feeling of missing out. It whined and complained until Kiba gave in.

He slowed down so that he was walking alongside Naruto. The blonde gave him an easy grin. "What's up, Kiba?"

"Just checking up on how you and Sakura have been doing."

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

_How should I put this…? _"I heard that something happened at the hospital yesterday afternoon. With Team Seven." _And Sasuke_, Kiba added silently, and he knew from the slight change of expression on Naruto's face that the other boy knew as well. It confirmed what Kiba had presumed, and he sighed. "Is Sakura okay?"

Both of them looked over at their friend. She was pausing to pick up Akamaru, giggling when he licked away at her face. The boys stopped as well, watching her. "She looks normal," Naruto said after a while.

"Looks can be deceiving."

"She's taking it slowly." The blonde shrugged. "I think she needs a little help."

"Me too. My cousin said it looked bad."

Naruto blinked at that. "Your cousin?"

"Yeah. She works in the hospital. Medic-nin. She was there when Team Seven was brought in; she said their sensei was all beat up… I wonder what they faced." Kiba's question was answered without hesitation, and when he discerned the single word his companion had uttered, he realised that Naruto was contemplatively serious. It wasn't a joke.

"Death."

"… Should I ask?"

"Do you want to know?"

Kiba thought of his father. "Nah… I think I'm fine without it."

"Mou, what are you two standing there for?" Sakura's voice drove away the silence. She had turned around and was waving at them, the expression on her face the result of a smirk and smile merging together. "Come on!"

"Coming!"

* * *

Hana was talking to another woman when they arrived back at the park's playground, their usual rendezvous. Sakura thought the stranger looked familiar, with the dark brown shade of hair and the recognizable animalistic features.

Kiba spotted the woman and did a double take. "Kaa-san?" he said incredulously. Sakura shared a dubious look with Naruto, the latter mouthing the same word their teammate had uttered, before both sped up their pace to match Kiba's as he approached his family. "What are you doing here?" he asked the woman they now knew was his mother. With the three Inuzukas gathered together, it was much easier to see the resemblance.

Hana shrugged as her brother looked questioningly at her. "Don't look at me like _I_ know," she said. Sakura noticed her glancing toward her mother, brow furrowed, and wondered if something was out of the norm. She had no time to further contemplate the matter, as Kiba's mother had started talking.

"No introductions, Kiba?" she noted. It was hard to decipher emotions from her slitted eyes as they flickered first to Sakura and then Naruto. They seemed to pause longer than necessary on the blonde, flashing with curiosity. Sakura noticed that Naruto looked as uncertain as he had been when they had first acquainted Hana. Was he really that unaccustomed to meeting new people? To her knowledge, he'd never had that problem before. Maybe it was only because a teammate's family was… well, unique. Sakura wondered how Naruto would react to _her_ parents.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she said, bowing. Once the attention was shifted away from him, Naruto mirrored her and ducked his head, tripping over his own introduction. And Sakura thought _she_ was nervous.

"Inuzuka Tsume, they call me," Kiba's mother nodded. "But Kiba called me the Witch when he was little, so go figure."

Sakura blinked in pleasant surprise and fought the urge to giggle while Kiba groaned. "_Mom_!"

Tsume thrust her hand into her son's hair and messed it up. Kiba muttered something under his breath. "What was that, pup? I didn't catch that."

"I said you were a witch."

"There you go," Tsume said to her son's teammates. "Proof as solid as they come." Her short-of-serious personality reminded Sakura of Kiba and Hana. Naruto seemed to think so as well; he was loosening up a little, opening up.

"I call our taijutsu teacher a hag," he informed Tsume, grinning.

Once again, Inuzuka Tsume looked at him with interest and a tint of inquisitiveness. Her gaze was somehow warmer than the last, a little friendlier. "I've heard about that from Kiba," she nodded, elbowing her frowning son lightly in the chest. He stumbled back in surprise and glared at him, but Hana grabbed him in a headlock, grinning, and drove him to the side. "Yamane Takara teaches you, right?"

"Yeah. She's a slavedriver," Naruto clarified.

"Ge' off!" Kiba's muffled voice complained in the background.

"I'm surprised you managed to get her out of that dump she calls a house," Tsume chuckled. She turned to Sakura, including her in the conversation. "What's she taught you kid? Not how to hold your own on a jug of saké, I hope."

"She's actually a very good teacher," Sakura offered. Which was true, if you looked past her bizarre mood swings and weirder exercises. Not even Naruto could complain that he hadn't improved in the time they had spent with Takara.

"She is, too. Pity she quit being a kunoichi; she'd have gone far." Tsume's gaze grew a little distant, as if remembering something. "But then, after what happened to her team, I suppose it's understandable. I never did understand how Kurenai dealt with it…" She suddenly seemed to remember that she had an audience and smiled. "Oops. Sorry about that."

Sakura hesitated. "Ano… what exactly happened to Kurenai-sensei and Takara-sensei's team?" A quick glance told her that Naruto was listening intently as well.

Tsume paused, and then said, "I'm sure she'll tell you in her own time. For the moment, just remember that shinobi always have to face death and that Kurenai did a very good job of dealing with her own experiences." She was looking into the genins' eyes, once again lingering on Naruto. Death. That word again; Sakura bit her lip. "Losing those you love hurts. A lot. Being alone is very hard."

Naruto stared into the woman's eyes, his own wide. Then, averting his gaze, he nodded.

Sakura felt someone tugging the back of her jacket and looked in surprise over her shoulder. "Kiba, what are you doing?"

"Hide me," he cowered, not taking his eyes off Hana where she was innocently standing behind their mother. Sakura resisted the urge to giggle. She prised her teammate's hands off her jacket and stepped to one side. "Sakura-sama!" Kiba whined, trying to duck behind her again.

"Don't be such a kid, you," she scolded amusedly.

"Yeah, Kiba, don't be such a kid," Naruto piped up.

Kiba glared bitterly at them. "Traitors," he muttered. He looked pleadingly at Akamaru. "You love me, don't you, boy?" The puppy burrowed into Sakura's jacket and barked contently. The pink-haired girl patted him and Kiba threw up his hands. "Fine! No one loves me," he lamented.

"Yup!"

"Argh! You weren't supposed to say that!"

"The Hokage always tells the truth."

Sakura gave Naruto a sceptical look. "You hardly qualify as a Hokage."

"Ouch, that stung, Sakura!" he complained. He pointed a thumb at his chest, grinning. "I'll be Hokage one day, just you wait! Then you'll think back to this day and you'll realise that you were teammates with the strongest man in all of Fire country!"

Sakura rolled her eyes… but she couldn't quite control the spread of the smile on her face. For some reason, Naruto's rant, one-track minded as he was, gave her a sense of assurance. At that moment, she realised with faint disbelief that the boy she had sworn to only poke with a ten-foot pole back at the Academy had become one of the most reliable people she could lean on. No matter what happened, Naruto was always the same; going on about being Hokage, generally being loud and obnoxious… just being _Naruto. _

Kiba noticed his teammate smiling but decided to keep it to himself.

"You're a confident little guy, aren't you?" Tsume said to Naruto. "Did you say you wanted to be Hokage?"

Of course, that set Naruto off on a regaling tale of his dream, involving lots of wide hand gestures and exclamations. The fact that Tsume expressed interest only encouraged him further.

"What a braggart." Kiba shook his head.

"Look who's talking," Hana whispered to Sakura. The younger girl giggled.

"I heard that!"

* * *

As her brother's team disappeared from her sight, Hana ceased patting her dogs and glanced over at Tsume. "You caught me by surprise there, Mom. I wasn't expecting you."

"I wanted the first meeting to have no influences." Tsume looked thoughtful. "This Uzumaki Naruto really is a special kid."

Hana nodded. "You can see it, can't you?"

"Okay, so first you smell something and now you can see it as well?"

"Mom," Hana began, but the older woman held up a hand.

"I was just kidding around. You know me," Tsume grinned. Hana settled for a small smile. Yes, she did know her mother. "Naruto said he wanted to be Hokage. That's some dream."

"I think it is more of a goal than a dream," Hana reiterated gently.

Tsume raised an eyebrow. "You really think that boy will become Hokage one day?"

Hana paused to choose her words. One of her dogs whined. "I'm not saying he definitely will succeed," she said finally, looking into her mother's eyes, "but Naruto is the sort of person I would like to see as the leader of this village."

Too bad certain factions didn't seem to think so, Hana mused with a frown. Namely, the majority of Konoha's civilians. She had been paying closer attention to anything related to her brother's blonde teammate and was disheartened to discover that even shinobi spoke ill of Naruto. It only intensified her curiosity.

Who _was_ Uzumaki Naruto?

"Hokage, hmm?" Tsume was saying, and Hana tuned back into her mother's words. "It's ironic that the boy would want to be the protector of the village… I daresay he wouldn't make a complete failure of one."

Hana found herself smiling. "I told you, Mom. He's very likeable."

"Let's just say he wasn't entirely what I expected him to be," Tsume relented, but Hana caught her gazing distant down the path Team Eight's genins had taken. Then she turned away and the reflective emotion was siphoned from her eyes. "And I know what you mean now, Hana."

"Pardon me?"

"He does smell like ramen."

* * *

Kurenai noticed several foreign forehead protectors and unfamiliar faces as her team threaded their way through the village's main street to the Hokage Tower. The preparations for the upcoming Chuunin Exam were progressing faster than she had envisaged. The Hokage had already sent word out for an upcoming meeting. There were rumours on the mill that Asuma and Kakashi intended to let their genins participate in the exam, which reassured Kurenai, even if just a little. Considering the hard-headed determination of her genins they would press hard on partaking, and as everyone knew, there was safety in numbers.

Kiba pausing briefly where he was ahead of the group and raised his head to sniff at the air. He murmured something to Akamaru; the dog seemed to agree with his words. "There are some funny scents around here," Kiba said to his teammates.

"Funny? How?" Naruto asked curiously. He was eyeing Tora suspiciously, who was curled up contently in his sensei's arms. The back of his hand suddenly started feeling very itchy.

"There's few new smells around here… it smells different somehow." Kiba shrugged and scanned the crowd. "Not that I'm saying I know everyone in Konoha but I think I've got a pretty good idea of what it smells like, at least. Maybe there's a lot of tourists."

"They came to see the future Hokage." Naruto gazed dramatically off into the distance. Beside him, Sakura sighed and had to tug him to one side to avoid an unwelcome collision with a dango stand.

"Mou, daydream later, Naruto," she scolded.

He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sakura-chan wouldn't let me crash into anything," he said cheekily.

"I'm too nice for that, yes."

"No; you just love me so much that it hurts you to see me hurt. Right, right?"

"I'm going to hit you."

"But you're smiling," Naruto said in a singsong voice.

"Okay, that's it!"

Naruto had already taken off and Sakura did not hesitate to pursue. At least they had the tact to take to the roofs and not disturb the people on the street. Kurenai found herself smiling as she absently scratched Tora behind the ear. Naruto and Sakura had come a long way.

"They seem to be very cheerful," she said. Tora purred in what might be agreement. "Did something happen while I was away, Kiba?" It had not been intended to be a direct inquiry, but Kiba's sudden silence implied that it would soon escalate into one. Kurenai slowed her pace so that she was walking alongside her student – Tora crept as far away as she could from Akamaru. "Is something the matter, Kiba?" she asked quietly.

The boy glanced up at her, then at Naruto and Sakura, who could be seen squabbling outside the Hokage Tower. "Sasuke just wasn't being a polite gentleman yesterday. He said some harsh words."

"Harsh?" Kurenai asked sharply. She was a little wary of Kakashi's student, especially since the impasse between Sasuke and Naruto.

Kiba gave a small shrug. "I wasn't there," he admitted. "Naruto was. I think he settled it, cheering Sakura up now. No violence, Sensei," he assured hastily.

Kurenai nodded thoughtfully, frown easing. "I see."

Unfortunate as it was that a dispute had been sparked, the submissive resolve was a testament to her students' growth, particularly Naruto. The jounin had little doubt that the quarrel would have come to blows had Naruto not restrained himself and if Sakura had not been there to compose him accordingly.

Perhaps giving them a chance to enter the Chuunin Exam would not be so reckless after all.

Sarutobi seemed to share a similar sentiment. While Team Eight had been standing before the emotional reunion of the Fire Daimyo's wife with her fugitive cat, the Hokage's expectant gaze had continuously averted in Kurenai's direction, prompting her to wonder if Jiraiya had been catching up with his former sensei for more reasons that for old times' sake.

They rejoined the crowd on the main street. Leaving without requesting a second mission did not entirely surprise the genins. Occasionally, Kurenai would take the day to re-evaluate their skills; reacquainting with Naruto and Sakura's taijutsu progress and Kiba's with his family jutsus. It was important for shinobi to be aware of their comrades' abilities; at times, they set the basis for life or death situations. Kurenai would know.

"Kurenai-sensei," Sakura said abruptly, disrupting the jounin's reverie.

The woman regarded her. "What is it, Sakura?"

"By the hotel over there," Sakura gestured. She exchanged a quick glance with Kiba and Naruto; Akamaru gave a small whine. "They're wearing a Rain forehead protector. Are they allowed to be here?" There was a strict system for foreigners entering the Hidden Leaf Village. Those without the correct documents would be arrested by ANBU and placed on trial for suspected espionage.

Kurenai glanced at the Rain ninja. Judging from their ages: three genin, one jounin. Scarlet eyes flickered briefly up to the roof of the opposite building. She sensed the presence of an ANBU agent. All Chuunin Exam participants were investigated by the Black Ops for confirmation and security measures.

"I understand your concern, but I believe they are authorised to be here," she told her students.

"How do you know, Sensei?" Naruto asked. They turned into a side street and the bustle of the main street's activity was reduced to what Kouta-sensei would have called a 'dull roar'. Kurenai silently observed her genins from the corner of her vision, judging them. She came to a conclusion.

"They are here for the Chuunin Exams. Their presence here is vouched for."

They heard her clearly despite the low tone she had used. "Chuunin Exams?" Kiba repeated. He was grinning, just like Kurenai had foreseen he would. "My sister told me about those. That's how they choose you to be chuunin."

"Hence the name," Sakura pointed out wryly, but her companions could see sparks of flickering interest in her eyes. "No wonder you detected those scents, Kiba – they weren't tourists after all."

"Yeah. I wonder how many people are going to be entering…"

Naruto ended up saying it for all of them, as he always did. "It'd be cool if we were part of them, huh?" He tucked his hands behind his head as he walked, gazing off into the distance with a small, rueful smile on his features.

"Now you're just sounding stupid," Sakura said a little tightly. Kurenai pretended not to notice her student's green eyes flickering toward her. "Rookies don't usually get to enter the Chuunin Exams."

"Let me dream, Sakura-chan," the blonde boy laughed.

He was oblivious to the lowering of his sensei's head as her eyes shadowed with the memory of an indomitable declaration. _"My dream is to be Hokage one day!"_

"Dreams are made to come true." Kurenai blinked. It had just come out, the words bypassing her conscious approval altogether. It had not bypassed her students' auditory senses, it seemed, as they hesitated in their next step and turned back to look at her.

"Sensei?" Kiba asked uncertainly.

She smiled faintly. "I'm impressed with your growth – all of you." And here, she ruffled the boys' hair and patted Sakura's shoulder. "If it is what you want, I am willing to authorise the three of you for the Chuunin Exam."

Silence, and for a while, they just stared at her, gawking in disbelief, amazement – a bundle of emotions. Even Akamaru seemed to understand the significance of the moment.

Finally, Naruto's face slowly split into an ecstatic grin, and he whispered, "Yatta."

That seemed to shatter the silent curse.

"K-Kurenai-sensei," Sakura stammered, "are you sure? I mean, this is…"

"It's great!" Kiba burst out. "This is totally awesome, isn't it, Akamaru? Wait till Hana hears!" The small dog barked in enthusiastic agreement.

Kurenai held up a hand for attention. "Am I to assume that is a 'yes'?"

The somewhat sheepish silence was enough of a resounding affirmative. Kurenai sighed. She could see it on their faces. Kiba; struggling to hide his wide smile, to look serious and determined. Sakura; still shocked, nervous, but the eagerness slipping through to the surface. Naruto; head cocked, looking for all the world like he wanted to punch the air… and looking puzzled. "What's wrong, Kurenai-sensei?" he asked. His voice rose awareness and soon all eyes were on the jounin. "I thought you wanted us to try."

"I do, yes. It's good experience for you even if you don't pass. And the fact that it is held here in Konoha makes it quite safe. This is a perfect opportunity."

"Then why are you…?"

For a moment, she just looked at them, gazed into each of her students' eyes. "I can tell you here and now that the Chuunin Exams will be dangerous. In fact, I can _promise _that. Ninja from other villages will be there as well and this is one time where 'survival of the fittest' is literal. People have died in the Chuunin Exams."

It sounded dramatic, even cliché. Death. It was considered an everyday aspect of life for shinobi, but Naruto, Sakura and Kiba were silent, looking at the ground, the sky, zoning out altogether – just not looking at their sensei or each other.

In a soft tone of voice, Kurenai said, "I want the three of you to be ready. This isn't something I should decide for you… I will leave you alone for a while. I'll meet you back at the usual training ground."

The last thing she saw before she vanished in a whirl of leaves was the clouded blue hue of Naruto's eyes.

* * *

The walk back to training ground twenty-seven was mostly shrouded in silence. There, they sat on the ground, lay back on the grass. No one strayed further than necessary. Glancing over at Kiba and Sakura, Naruto wondered if they felt the same sense of comfort from each other's presence. _Being alone is very hard,_ Tsume Inuzuka had said. Naruto could relate only too well.

His dream was be Hokage. If he was the leader of the village, he would gain the respect of the villagers, everyone who had disregarded him as a brat, a troublemaker, a monster. He wanted to protect his home and the ones he loved. His precious people. The road to that ambition would be unbearably difficult if he did not rise to higher, more experienced ranks. Naruto was currently a genin, so that made chuunin the next step. The Chuunin Exams. There was hardly a choice. He had to take them.

But was he ready to take them _now_, fresh out of the Academy by only a few months? More importantly, were his friends ready? Kurenai-sensei had been addressing all three of them so it was only safe to assume that they would be taking this Chuunin Exam together. Which was good, Naruto told himself, because he could not think to have trained and bonded with his teammates for so long only to leave them behind in the end.

Kiba seemed to think so as well. He sat up; Akamaru hopped off his lap and onto Sakura's. "So," he said in an overly casual tone. "What do you think?"

Naruto just shrugged. "I dunno."

His lack of certainty seemed to… well, it seemed to shock Sakura. "I thought you would be happy and jumping around and cheering," she said, wide-eyed as if the absence of the usual Uzumaki spirit was devastating. "Aren't you even excited?"

"I am," he admitted. "I'm really excited, actually. This Chuunin Exam thing is really cool and all but…"

"But what?" Sakura pressed, as if his answer was her final resolve, as if she needed his decision to drive her own. She was staring so intensely at him, in his eyes, that Kiba and Akamaru sort of blurred into the background. All Naruto could see was her green eyes, doubt wavering, and it struck him then.

She trusted him. In some twisted way, despite her scolding him, Sakura trusted Uzumaki Naruto. It was almost like she couldn't really make her own decision and needed him to fill in her confidence. Naruto was suddenly very conscious of the weight of Kiba's gaze now – even Akamaru's attention. It just made it that much harder for him to draw to a solid conclusion. What had Kurenai-sensei said? _People have died in the Chuunin Exams…_ Naruto wanted to declare to the entire village that he was ready, that a stupid test was not even a problem for the future Hokage… but he couldn't. What if someone _did_ die? What if that someone was Kiba or Akamaru or Sakura?

"Naruto? What are you thinking?" Kiba asked. The blonde boy looked up, met his teammate's dark eyes and saw the same turmoil of vacillation he had seen in Sakura's. _Why are they looking at me like that?_ Naruto wondered to himself.

"I'm thinking about the Chuunin Exam. There's this part of me that really wants to take it… but then there's this other part of me that's, like, not sure."

"I can't believe we're sitting here listening to _you_ of all people saying stuff like this." Kiba chortled quietly. "I didn't think this side of you even existed, Naruto."

"Yeah, impressive, huh?" He laughed. Or at least, attempted to. Naruto sighed. _To hell with it. _"Okay, I know I'm not the type to hesitate when someone's asking me if I want to try out for chuunin. Usually I'd just go up and tell them that Uzumaki Naruto is going to be Hokage and a puny exam isn't going to stop him. Something like that. But… not at the moment.

"Kurenai-sensei looked worried when she said that stuff about the Exam and I know… I know that Sensei would never want us to get hurt. That's why I have to think about it. About what she said, you know?" The silence told him that they did know. "Is it… is it okay to be scared of death?" Their expressions were so solemn that it made Naruto berate himself. "I'm just being silly," he said quickly. "Forget I-"

"Yes."

He blinked at Kiba and Sakura – was it just him or had they uttered the word at the same time? "What?"

"It's okay," Kiba stated. "To be afraid of dying, I mean. It's not like we've actually killed anyone before or seen anyone die. You don't really know if you're ready for it. It's daunting, yeah?" And he laughed suddenly, if a little nervously. "Heh… to tell you the truth, I'm a little scared, too." Akamaru barked then, and it was a sharp sort of bark. Kiba chuckled. "You're right, boy. I know."

Naruto realised that Sakura was looking strangely at him. "Er, is something on my face?" he asked her.

The colour in her cheeks flushed as she shook her head. "No… I was just thinking how much you've changed from that idiot I used to know. Or still know."

"Did you have to put it that way?" Naruto mock-winced.

"Was there a better adjective?" she shot back playfully.

"Damn. I suppose love hurts." Sighing, Naruto lay back on the grass, tucking a hand behind his head. He watched the clouds pass overhead. "I've grown up, I think. Even if it's just a little bit. I think it's being part of a team; it's getting to me." He smiled fondly. "I've been through quite a lot to be here now. _We've_ been through quite a lot. And… don't you think that, since we've gotten this far already, it shouldn't really be that hard to go further?"

Sakura was still looking at him funny but Naruto liked to think that the extra flicker of emotion in those eyes was something akin to respect. "We should stick together."

Kiba looked at his friends, then at Akamaru. "What about us, Akamaru?" But even before the dog barked a response, it was obvious that the decision had been made. "Who wants to go buy the glue?"

"Me!"

"That was rhetorical, Naruto," Sakura sighed.

Naruto stuck his tongue out. He began to tickle the pink-haired girl and she yelped in surprise, then started giggling, laughing. He knew where she was most ticklish by now. But then, she knew him pretty well by now, too. She lunged and tackled him down, pinning him against the grass. Grinning, Naruto braced weight on the back of his shoulders and kicked up Sakura's knees, uprooting her support and sending her tumbling over him. He flipped onto his feet and eased into a defence stance.

Somehow, a bit of fun had escalated into a taijutsu spar.

"Oh sure, you two go knock yourself out, I'll just sit around," Kiba rolled his eyes.

But Naruto only barely heard him. Sakura was getting up, shaking her head with a rueful smile. She came at him and it took most of his concentration to keep up with the quick jabs Takara had trained her to utilise to their full potential. Which was good, because then he would have no time to doubt his decision. _Since when do I think so much anyway?_

Sakura slapped away his fist and retaliated with her own. Naruto stepped to the side; almost immediately she pivoted at her hips and swept a roundhouse kick at his head. He raised an open hand and guided it past, away from his face. Takara had been teaching them about passive blows and using the opposition's drive against them. Naruto would have congratulated himself, had Sakura not whipped around and clipped him alongside the head with the jade rings attached to the ends of her pigtails.

Naruto was left groaning on the grass, fingering the rising lump on his head. Sakura leaned over him and helped him sit up. "I tried to slow it down a little," she confided, eyes twinkling with awakened life from the physical activity.

"Aw, gee, thanks. And here I was thinking you loved me, Sakura-chan."

"Shut up," she sang. She was on her knees, pressing gently down on his head. "Are you okay?" It was a needless question, actually; she knew that he was hard to injure severely. But it was nice to hear the slight concern in her voice anyway.

"Yeah, that thing isn't as hard as my head." The swell was already reducing. Naruto liked to fashion that his tenant was adjusting to the many assaults to his physical body and reacted to the injuries at a faster rate. Takara was not one to pull punches and she seemed to expect the same of her students. Solid blows were commonly landed during her sessions. Sakura seemed to have adapted to this all too well.

"Kurenai-sensei wouldn't have let you beat me up like this," Naruto said. He grasped Sakura's offered hand and let her pull him to his feet. "You hit like a girl," he added.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "I _am_ a girl. And Sensei isn't here – serves you right for tickling me like that."

He just grinned. "Well, it was fun." He looked around the field. "And speaking of Kurenai-sensei, did she say when she was going to be back?"

At this, Sakura cast around as well and shook her head. "No. She didn't. She was going to give us some time to think, remember?"

"I guess… hey, Kiba, can you sniff around and see if… Kiba? Something wrong?"

Something _was_ wrong. Kiba's brow was pulled together in thought and concentration. His stance was tensed and composed with weight on his lower body; his hand kept close to his pouch. And Akamaru, too. The dog's hackles were raised in a ferocious manner that belied his small size. Both were turned toward the trees fringing the training ground.

Kiba glanced at his teammates out the corner of his eye. Then he reached back and pulled his hood over his head. After so many hours of working on hidden signals, Naruto and Sakura read the message clearly.

Someone was here. Hiding.

Naruto put on his hood as well. Maybe Kurenai-sensei had been wrong and those ninja from Rain weren't here for the Chuunin Exam? If that was so, his team was outnumbered. He noticed Sakura take up her position in the formation Kiba had unconsciously guided them into. Naruto frowned as his contemplation on death came back to him. He had to protect them…

Spinning around with sudden precision Kiba threw a brace of shuriken into the trees behind him and instantly followed the trajectory with a Piercing Fang. Without hesitation, Naruto slid into action and raced forward to cover him. Sakura remained a short distance behind, Akamaru by her side. The white dog was on alert, and Naruto heard him growl as Kiba burst out of the trees again, snarling.

He was forming handseals before the Inuzuka boy even returned to the ground. Naruto raised his hand to his mouth and hoped that he would not raze the trees to the ground. "Gouka-" Either he was not fast enough or the enemy was faster. A hand with a grasp like iron yanked his arm back and pressed it against his back. Naruto's eyes were wide. _When did he-_

Sakura charged the assaulter, chambering a kick on the limb trapping Naruto. It was an impressive feat that the offending hand did not release its grip on its prey. Naruto braced his weight and snapped forward; Sakura swept their opponent's feet from the ground and vaulted him over Naruto, wrenching him free.

When he straightened, Naruto saw that their opponent had landed on his feet, back to them, and was nursing his wrist. His eyes narrowed. There was something off about… it didn't matter; Kiba was already circling around the other side. They had him surrounded. From his clothes, he didn't seem to be part of the Rain team they had seen earlier.

Naruto put his hands together and formed seals. This time, he would not miss.

A chuckle from the ninja froze him. "I think that's enough fun. Kurenai would kill me if she came back and found you all in pieces." It was a feminine voice. Fancy that… 'he' was in fact a she.

Naruto warily discharged the chakra he had been preparing for his second attempt of the jutsu, but did not relax from his stance. "You know Kurenai-sensei?"

The woman rubbed the back of her neck and turned around. "We're friends. Duh." Grey eyes regarded him, all of them. They were calculating; Naruto felt Sakura shift uncomfortably. Kiba had joined them, but was suspiciously silent. Maybe it was because the woman before them was clad only in a fishnet mesh shirt, an undersized mini skirt and a long trench coat. Naruto quickly averted his eyes.

"Mitarashi Anko," the newcomer introduced after a moment, jabbing a finger at herself.

Despite his efforts to remain serious and tough-looking, Naruto had trouble containing his laughter when Kiba nudged him and muttered, "Dango?" Soon, the two of them were snorting. Sakura frowned at them.

"Ano," she nervously addressed Mitarashi Anko. "What were you doing hiding over there?"

"Yeah," Kiba said loudly, "what _were_ you doing there?"

"Oh, I smelt fear and came sniffing." She said it so… casually. Naruto couldn't help but stare. _Is this lady for real? _He glanced over at Kiba; the Inuzuka boy just shrugged.

"You three surprised me back there. Good nose." Anko said this to Akamaru and bent down to tickle his chin. "Cute mutt, aren't you?"

Kiba crossed his arms defiantly, sniffing. "Akamaru isn't going to fall for your – _Akamaru_!" The puppy had rolled onto his back and was whining for attention.

Naruto was a little more than gratified to see Kurenai approaching them, a bag of takeout in one hand. Their mentor would set things straight. However, his confidence did waver a little when the jounin looked in faint surprise at Anko. "You're early."

"Sensei!" Sakura sounded relieved.

Kurenai looked at her charges. "What did you decide?"

They told her, and to their surprise Kurenai was smiling ruefully by the end of it. "I knew you would not miss this opportunity."

"It's… enticing," Sakura admitted.

"I agree with enticing," Anko said. She was peeking into the bag of takeout and gave Kurenai a solemn look. "Do you have it?"

The red-eyed woman sighed and took out a small container from the bag. "Yes, Anko, I have it."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as Anko grabbed the box, dropped to the ground and started to eat. Dango. "Er, Kurenai-sensei, is she really a friend of yours?" He found it difficult to believe that his sensei was even acquainted with someone as bizarre as Mitarashi Anko.

"Unfortunately. Anko is a special jounin and a proctor for this year's Chuunin Exam." Was it just him or had Sensei just looked at them with sympathy?

"_She_ is one of the examiners?" Kiba gawked. From where she sat, Anko waved cheerfully.

"Why is she here?" Sakura questioned curiously.

Kurenai knelt down and took out four takeout boxes. "She is here because I told her to bring something for me," she explained. "Take a box each; we'll talk about the Chuunin Exam while we eat."

* * *

In the end, they did more training than talking. Kurenai drilled them through the basic forms and techniques they had learned. Mitarashi Anko stayed around and gave the occasional comment. Sakura soon discovered that the woman was very protective of her dango after a kunai had strayed a little too close to the tree the special jounin had been sitting in.

When it came down to a recap of the jutsus, Anko was not impressed with the limited variety of offensive jutsu ("Hey, Kurenai, are you sure those brats will survive with just one Fire jutsu? They look pretty skimpy to me.") which had then infuriated Kiba into pestering Kurenai to introduce a new jutsu to them.

Kurenai said she would "consider it tomorrow and decide if there was sufficient time to master another jutsu".

Sakura was a little worse for wear by the time the sun was setting. Thankfully, the taijutsu lesson with Takara had been cancelled for the day; Sakura didn't feel like doing anything save for getting some food in her stomach and taking a nice long bath. Unfortunately, Kurenai seemed to have other ideas.

"Sakura, could you stay back for a few minutes?"

The pink-haired girl looked over at her teammates; they were halfway up the slope and paused to look back. "We'll wait for you at Ichiraku's, okay?" Naruto called.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks."

Anko Mitarashi was rummaging through the various pockets of her trench coat. She pulled out a dark set of gloves. "I thought you were going to borrow these for that Naruto kid," she said to Kurenai.

"Not quite. I believe Sakura would be able to make better use of them."

"Hmm, whatever you say. Catch, Sakura."

"Wha-" Sakura caught the gloves with both hands. The fabric was rough and the gloves themselves were surprisingly heavy. She looked to Kurenai. "What are these, Sensei?" They didn't look like battle gloves.

"They were developed by a jounin I knew. He trained me for a few months and gave me those," Anko explained. She was chewing a dango stick. "Know why they're so heavy?"

Sakura dubiously shook her head.

"Try putting them on first, for a start."

She looked at Kurenai, saw her nod, and then slipped them on. It was a strange sensation. Her fingers felt stiff and the gloves were a little too loose.

"Make a fist," Anko instructed.

_O… kay…_ Sakura curled her fingers… and that was about as far as she got. She stared at the invisible resistance. She frowned and forced more strength into her endeavours; it took her almost a full minute to get her fingertips to meet her palm. Sakura could have sworn she heard Anko sniggering. Especially when she relaxed, just a little, and her fingers were yanked back into a straight, upright pose; the model for a solid karate chop.

Stare.

"There are iron joints sewn into the finger slots," Kurenai informed her. "The purpose of the gloves is to strengthen your fingers and trigger faster reactions; they are similar to your wrist weights."

Flexing her stiff fingers, Sakura asked, "But why do I need them now, Kurenai-sensei? I don't think I should wear these for the Chuunin Exam." She did not trust herself to be able to pick up a kunai at this rate.

"By then you would have taken them off. I estimate that we have a little over a week until the Exam, and the process generally takes longer than that, but I assumed that you would want to make the most out of what you got before that comes around." Kurenai regarded her for a moment. "Are you alright with wearing these gloves for the next week?"

Sakura nodded, if a little hesitantly.

Kurenai picked up on it almost immediately. "Yes?"

"It's… nothing."

Anko snorted in the background.

_Focus on Kurenai-sensei_, Sakura told herself. "I was just thinking… am I the only one having this special training because I'm weak-"

"No. Definitely not." It was the first time she had heard Kurenai interrupt someone. The jounin leaned over and rested her hands on Sakura's shoulders, maintaining eye contact. "Sakura, you have the best chakra control in this team. With only a little effort, you are able to get the most out of ninjutsu and genjutsu. However, this effectiveness would be useless if you were not able to react quickly enough in an emergency situation. These gloves will make your fingers nimbler and stronger. It is not for any other reason that I am having you wear them." A pause, in which Kurenai brushed a strand of hair off her student's face. "Is that clear?"

Sakura felt an unidentifiable weight loosen somewhere inside her. "Hai!"

"Good." Kurenai smiled and straightened. "Only take the gloves off when you are showering. The first days will be difficult but it won't be long before you adjust."

"Eat with them. Train with them." And here, Anko's eyes gained a peculiar glint as she added, "Sleep with them."

Kurenai rolled her eyes. Then they were focused back on Sakura. "I am going to ask for you to look out for Naruto and Kiba," she said softly. "They are irrational and easily provoked; you need to be there to support them and guide them. I've told you this before and I will say it again; you are strong, Sakura. Believe in yourself."

Later, when she was leaving the training ground, Sakura would wonder why she had heard Naruto's voice in the hollow recesses of her mind, exuberantly shouting out "Believe it!"

Naruto… somehow he had changed and… not changed. It was indescribable. Sakura found herself enjoying his presence a little – a lot – more than she once used to. Every since they had returned from their C-rank mission, Uzumaki Naruto had started feeling more realistic, more human. She did not know why, but Sakura had been expecting a different Naruto when she had screamed in frustration at the team selections. She had been expecting a dolt, the dead-last.

Yet, now, he was simply Naruto. He wasn't some sick puppy padding after her; he had made it clear that he had feelings like any other person, that he no longer wished to be treated the way she had criticised him. He was her sparring partner, a friend. Even Kiba, whom Sakura had thought little about when they had been classmates, had turned out to be a great companion.

Kurenai-sensei wanted her to look out for them; she didn't think Sakura was weak or the one falling behind. It was with Sensei, Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru that Haruno Sakura felt… comfortable. She was just realising that, especially after yesterday.

Sasuke. After running into him again, once more experiencing that inner jeopardy between a desirable crush and a bond with her team – Sakura found herself thriving on the dependency only her teammates could give her. They laughed, teased and worked with her because she was herself, Haruno Sakura. Not 'that girl with pink-hair' or 'another of Uchiha's fangirls'.

As it turned out, the rest of her team was not waiting at Ichiraku's. They were lingering by the side of the road half the distance to the ramen stand. Kiba had his arms crossed, leaning against a tree, and Naruto was squatted on the ground, doodling in the dirt with the tip of his finger. Akamaru perked up at her scent and wiggled out of his master's jacket, dropping onto a ruffled Naruto's head before pouncing on Sakura.

She laughed and gave him a small cuddle. "It's only been ten minutes, Akamaru."

"We were going to meet you at Ichiraku's," Kiba said. He was rubbing the back of his neck and was finding sudden interest in gazing at the clouds. "But Akamaru wanted to potty so we got, uh, stalled. Yeah…"

Naruto frowned at him. "Ne, ne, what are you talking about, Kiba? We didn't-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as the taller boy grabbed him in a headlock.

"Zip it! We're guys; we're not supposed to wait for girls!" It was probably intended to be a stealthy hiss but Sakura heard every word clearly, and she shook her head, sharing a knowing look with Akamaru.

"Mmmph – leggo 'f me!"

Surprisingly, Kiba darted away immediately. "Were you trying to _bite_ me?" he asked in disbelief.

Sakura raised her voice over Naruto's protest. "Thanks for waiting, you two."

They froze like that, looked at her, at each other, then turned stiffly and started walking down the road. It made Sakura want smile and scowl at the same time. _Boys… I'll know something's wrong if I ever understand them._

"So what did Kurenai-sensei want, Sakura?" Kiba asked after they had ordered. Ichiraku Ramen was just cleaning up after the lunch break but Teuchi and Ayame had been pleased to see Team Eight. If there was one thing the genins had come to expect, it was the cheerful smiles of the ramen chef and his daughter.

Sakura had been flexing her hand experimentally; it felt tight. She hesitated, remembered what Kurenai-sensei had said, and held out a gloved hand for the boys to see. "This. Sensei wanted to give me this."

Naruto stared at the dark material cladding his teammate's fingers. "Why don't me and Kiba get one?" he asked. Sakura picked up a small tinge of disappointment.

It led to Sakura repeated Kurenai's explanation, of the effects of the gloves and why she was the most suitable to wear them. The boys blinked and stared curiously at the objects of interest at certain intervals. "That Anko woman had gloves as cool as these?" Kiba sounded gruff and disbelieving.

Naruto, on the other hand, was beaming. "With Sakura on our side we'll pass the Chuunin Exam for sure!"

His grin was a little… infectious. "Baka," Sakura murmured. "The Chuunin Exam isn't going to be that easy."

"Aww, come on, Sakura-chan!" He had slung his arm around her shoulder and was squeezing it gently. "You said it yourself; we'll just stick together. Kurenai-sensei said she'll be proud of us even if we don't pass, remember?"

"I'm actually still a bit unsure," Kiba admitted, shrugging sheepishly when his teammates turned around to stare at him, "but aren't we all? I mean, come on, it's something new and it's out of the ordinary, so it's bound to be a little scary."

Sakura was glad that Naruto had not pulled his arm away. His weight and warmth offered her a little reassurance, at least a little certainty in Kiba's words. Absently, she stroked Akamaru's fur. It seemed that she could always rely on the boys to fill in some confidence.

"You never know until you try, right?" Kiba went on. "If we stuff it up, we'll just try again next time. We'll just do our best, okay?" He looked imploringly at his friends, as if urging them to back up.

Naruto was quiet for a short moment and Sakura saw something flicker in his eyes, but when he looked up again his grin was wider and brighter than ever. "Right!" he said cheerfully. He bumped Kiba's first over Sakura's head. "Chuunin Exams, here we come!"

Sakura just smiled.

The ramen arrived and the genins of Team Eight started eating. Their "Itadakimasu!" was particularly exuberant and made Teuchi and his daughter share a smile. Naruto and Kiba ate with certain competitive vigour; Akamaru nipped pieces of meat from Naruto's regular platter of mutton and vegetables.

It took a concerned Ayame asking her if she was alright for Naruto and Kiba to notice that Sakura was not eating. Accurately, she was having trouble using the chopsticks. She just couldn't use them.

"Are you okay with those?" Kiba asked, nodding at the gloves.

Sakura put down the chopsticks and experimentally wiggled the fingers of her right hand. "I guess Kurenai-sensei and Anko weren't kidding when they said it'd be difficult." Just thinking about explaining her temporary handicap to her parents was giving her a headache.

The second of thoughtful silence from Naruto was enough to indicate that he had thought of something. "Hey, jii-san, can you get us a spoon and a pair of clean scissors?" he called. Teuchi chuckled and ducked under the counter to retrieve the requested items. "Thanks." Naruto started cutting up the ramen and smiled at Sakura. "Ayame used to cut up the ramen like this for me when I was a kid," he explained.

He held his tongue between his teeth when he was concentrating, Sakura realised faintly.

"Sakura? What's the matter?" He was concerned when she didn't start eating right away. "You can't use the spoon either?"

"You should feed her," Kiba suggested with a sly grin.

"I can feed myself, thanks," she glared disapprovingly at him. "It's just… Naruto."

"What is it?"

"… Arigatou."

* * *

The following days were a flurry of preparation for the Chuunin Exam. Missions were cut down to one per day to allocate more time to train, and by the end of the day everyone was sweating profusely. After Kurenai dismissed them, Naruto parted ways with Kiba and Sakura to hurry home, shower and get a change of clothes. Thankfully, he'd had another outfit identical to his newly acquired one tailored by Yasumagi Shinji; he _really_ didn't feel up to getting back in sweaty and dirt-encrusted clothes.

While their need to rest and cleanse themselves had overtaken the significance of eating lunch together, Naruto was glad that he was still seeing enough of his teammates. If they were going to enter the Exam together, they would need to work smoothly as a team and it was rather difficult to manage that if the team wasn't even together.

Their morning runs still proceeded as normal. Naruto found himself enjoying the light jogs a little more as each day progressed. The training Kurenai-sensei heaped on them was tough and tiring, and the pressure to improve and get into shape was a heavy weight to bear. Their routine jog around Konoha was a mollifying release from the tension. He was sure that Sakura and Kiba felt the same way. To boot, Hana had noted recently that she had seen improvement from when they had started off. They were improving and Naruto liked that they were advancing together, as a team.

Team Eight didn't see Mitarashi Anko directly after the first meeting – sometimes they spotted her hanging around the village on their missions – but Kiba clearly still remembered her remarks, because he pleaded with Kurenai-sensei to teach them one more jutsu. The jounin had been hesitant at first, her reasoning being that, in the limited time they had remaining, revision of tactics and the skills they had learned would be crucial. But then, she had considered, Anko had been right, and there were times when taijutsu was flawed and long-range combat had to be accounted for.

Eventually, she settled on a bargain: if they could give her their word to keep up with learning the jutsu, practicing it in their own time _and_ balance it with the daily training load, she would introduce to them another jutsu. If they failed… well, she hadn't been specific, but Naruto remembered that Kurenai-sensei could be amazingly cold-hearted when she wanted to be, and he didn't want to find out what the punishment was.

They promised to meet her criteria and Kurenai began teaching them a simple Water jutsu. According to her, the Water Whip was a basic technique that was often used as a stepping stone into advanced Suiton jutsu. However, if mastered correctly, it could prove to be deadly efficient. Kiba had been grinning widely throughout the entire explanation.

The general concept was to gather water from a source (Sensei was also teaching them to draw moisture from the air around them) and infuse the liquid with their chakra. It made the water much more malleable and easy to manipulate. The next step was just to pretend it was a whip and whack it around. At first Naruto had thought that, for once, the Water Whip would be a jutsu he could master at a rate akin to Sakura's.

He was rather used to being wrong by now. It was one thing holding solid leather in your hand and cracking it against a tree – it was entirely another matter to mould an otherwise weak, fluid substance, maintain a constant flow to chakra, and solidify the water into a sharpened 'whip' that did not break down into a puddle when making contact. Naruto's chakra control had gradually been improving and he found the first step of the jutsu to be no problem at all, but he soon hit a wall on the second step.

He wasn't the only one who had experienced difficulties. Kurenai-sensei had told them that the trick was to focus the chakra along the watery whip and hone the chakra into a tapering blade that would cut or at least injure the opponent. It was all a matter of control and striking at the right moment.

Admittedly, the Water Whip was easier to master than Goukakyuu no Jutsu. After practicing in the bathtub and pausing in their morning run to experiment by the lake with his teammates, Naruto managed to get the hang of the delicate technique before the Exam rolled around.

Two days after Naruto and his friends had been notified of the Chuunin Exam, Kurenai was called to a meeting by the Hokage. She left them at the training ground to revise, but Yamane Takara 'unintentionally stumbled in' on their session and ended up running them to the ground with taijutsu. Naruto suspected that the dark-haired woman meant well and was secretly trying to enforce their training.

Takara's intentions had been confirmed when she had noticed Sakura's new gloves the first taijutsu lesson they'd had with her. "Oh, your turn to wear them now, huh?" she'd chuckled, and then gone on to explain that the gloves also benefited her taijutsu, particularly the form she had been drilling Sakura in. "Quick jabs need to be quick and right on the spot," she had said and demonstrated. "You'll have to be careful to adjust to the gloves now, or they'll feel awkward when you take them off."

Which had then led to Sakura undergoing a series of perplexing exercises. When they had time to themselves, she told Naruto that Takara had had her punching into a waterfall constructed by a jutsu, throwing rocks at marks – even doing cartwheels, handstands, rolls; the sort. Naruto wasn't sure if Sakura had noticed, but she was a lot more accustomed to the restraint on her fingers after the first few days. He thought back to the ramen stand that day, of Kiba's ridiculous suggestion of feeding her, of the gratitude she had expressed.

Naruto was still rather clumsy with emotions, both his and those of others. He was still trying to figure out if Sakura had been thanking him for his thoughtfulness or something else he had not considered yet. Girls were still a mystery to him.

When she had returned from the meeting, Kurenai informed them that the Chuunin Exam would be commencing in a week's time. The next half-hour was spent going over the finer details; location, time – she even made them write them down so as to not forget. Naruto had the feeling that Sensei had been looking at him when she added something about 'sleeping in' at the end.

Naruto might have had a good reason for tardiness, because the same night, he had a visitor. Umino Iruka had been waiting outside the genin's apartment and had spotted Naruto when he was returning from his taijutsu lesson.

"Iruka-sensei?" He had blanched automatically; somewhere deep down, Naruto still thought of himself as the rebellious Academy student who had to face down the wrath of his teacher every second day.

Except the distinct furrow of Iruka's brow had nothing to do with desecrating the Hokage Monument. He was invited inside by his student and over a cup of clumsily-made tea, the subject of his visit had gradually been brought up.

At first, it had been small talk, catching up on recent events. "You've grown, Naruto," the scarred chuunin smiled at his former student across the small table.

"Seriously?" Naruto raised a hand to the top of his head and tried to peer up. "I guess all those vegetables Kurenai-sensei makes me eat helped after all."

He didn't notice Iruka's eyes flicker at the mention of the red-eyed jounin. "No, Naruto, I'm sure you've grown physically, but I was referring to something else. You've matured." Iruka gestured at the half-drained china cup before him. "I see you've learned how to look after your guests."

The praising gaze made Naruto scratch his whiskered cheek. "You're making me blush!"

"Your sensei appears to be taking good care of you," the man noted.

"Yep!" Naruto suddenly remembered. "Ah, Iruka-sensei! Can't believe I forgot – Kurenai-sensei is going to let us take the Chuunin Exam!"

Iruka rested down his cup. His expression was serious when he made eye-contact with the blonde genin. "Actually, that's why I'm here, Naruto. I was there at the meeting. Aside from your team, Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma have also nominated their teams."

Kurenai had told them as much. The news both excited and motivated Naruto. Everyone would be there… even Sasuke.

"But if I'm to be honest," Iruka continued, oblivious to the dark shadowing of his young audience's eyes and thoughts, "I don't think you and your classmates are ready for the Exam."

That snapped him out of it. "You don't?" Naruto tried to hide the disappointment. He had been looking forward to telling Iruka, the man who was among the first to acknowledge him. Iruka was the reason he had graduated from the Academy at all. Iruka was the beginning of everything; one could say he had given Naruto Team Eight.

Iruka looked away from those wavering blue eyes and averted his attention to the table. He hadn't realised he had been gripping the wooden edge. "No, I don't," he clarified. "You've just graduated from the Academy; most genins undergo training for at least a year before they are entered into the Chuunin Exam."

Naruto didn't think that pointing out the stated "_most_ genins" would help much in his favour so he just kept silent.

His lack of response seemed to surprise Iruka. "Don't you have anything to say?" he asked curiously.

"Not really." Naruto shrugged. "My team and I thought about that already."

"You _thought_ about it?"

He blinked. "It sounds like you didn't think I would."

Iruka sat back, wide-eyed. "No, I didn't." He smiled ruefully. "You really have grown, Naruto." A short pause. "I was very close to speaking out at the meeting today."

Naruto raised his head. "So you mean you didn't?"

"I didn't."

"Why didn't you?" He'd known Iruka to be protective of his students when required; he knew the man would not hesitate to voice something if he considered it to be of severe concern.

The man looked at him for a long moment. "I watch you," Iruka muttered.

"Nani?"

"I watch you. All of you. You may have graduated and are no longer my students, but I still do look out for you." Iruka had a soft smile on his face, complimented by the slight blush of embarrassment colouring his cheeks. "Every now and then, I see how you are doing, if any of you have improved. And Naruto, I watch your team the most. You know why. You were such a troublemaker – I was worried about how you would fit in."

_I fit in just fine, Iruka-sensei,_ Naruto wanted to tell him, but he thought the man would know by now. _I belong there._

"To tell you the truth, Naruto," Iruka chuckled, "I felt sorry for Yuuhi Kurenai. You were such a handful." He leaned over and ruffled the boy's hair. "Then I saw how she was training you. I saw you make friends with Sakura and Kiba. When you came back from your C-rank to Otafuku Gai and I saw how well you worked with your team, I decided to leave the three of you to Kurenai." He smiled. "I let go of you then. I'd seen enough.

"I'd seen enough to know that Kurenai would do whatever was right, and it's that respect I have for her that restrained me from speaking out at the meeting today. Watching her made me realise that I wasn't the only one who wanted the best for you kids." Iruka almost looked pained. "It's not only Kurenai. I'm sure that Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma handle their team with the same care and with their own methods."

"Iruka-sensei…"

"Heh… it took me a while to realise that I'm no longer your sensei, Naruto. You've all graduated from the Academy; you're ninja now." The chuunin grinned suddenly, as if he needed to hide certain emotions. "I'm still worried, yes, but I don't think I would have made much of a difference at the meeting. I've watched you all these past few months – hey, don't look at me like that, I'm no stalker. You're a talented bunch."

"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto lowered his head. Something prickled the back of his eyes. Tears, probably. But no, he wasn't going to cry. He was done crying. He didn't need tears to know that Umino Iruka truly cared for him. They both knew that. He raised his head and gave his former sensei a wide grin. "Of course!" he said in a tone brimming with confidence. "We'll be just fine, don't you worry, Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka smiled at him. "Tonight, I was going to ask you if you were ready, Naruto. I was most worried about you. I knew… I was _expecting _you to rush into the Chuunin Exam without thinking about it, but it seems I was wrong." Disappointment and concern flickered by, replaced by pride. "You've grown, Naruto. I'm sure your team will do great. Just try your best, okay?"

"Hai!"

"Haha… if you make chuunin, Naruto, I'll treat you to ramen."

"Aww, really, Sensei?"

And all the while, the Chuunin Exam drew closer.

* * *

Kurenai dismissed her team early the day before the Exam. "You've been working hard," she said. "Relax, enjoy yourselves and I wish you good luck for tomorrow."

As it was, none of the genins had any specific activities in mind. "Blagh, like anyone could relax with these weights on!" Kiba complained as they wandered the streets. He wished now that he hadn't joined Naruto and Sakura for their taijutsu lessons; Takara had increased their weights by a harsh standard.

"Yeah, it sorta sucks that the hag said we can't take them off during the test either," Naruto agreed. Ever the optimist, he searched for a brighter resolution. "But hey, it'll be harder for one of us to be kidnapped since they'll be weighing us down."

"You're a genius, Naruto," Kiba deadpanned.

Sakura glanced at the two boys. "Why don't we do something a bit more practical? Like… practicing the Water Whip." The small puppy in her arms barked sharply. "Seems you're the only other sensible one, Akamaru," the girl lamented. Akamaru barked again.

Kiba stopped. "Er, no, Sakura, I think he's talking about something else…"

She raised her eyebrows. "Like?"

"Mm… that."

Naruto and Sakura raised their heads to look in the direction Kiba was regarding. It was not altogether a foreign sight to see people travelling by the roofs of Konoha; there was a constant flow of ninja returning from their mission and the urgency that was required to run a village. However, it was rather atypical to spot someone perched stationary on top of a store, peeping over the reclining edge of the roof with what looked like a monocular.

That and Naruto would recognise that mane of pallid hair anywhere.

"The bathhouse is over that way," Kiba supplied unnecessarily.

"Well, I suppose that's Ero-sennin for you," Naruto remarked.

"That's the guy who helped you with your Fireball jutsu, huh?" Kiba eyed the man sceptically. "He looks more like the pervert from Otafuku Gai than some Legendary Salami."

In his peripheral vision, Naruto saw Sakura's complexion darken with an embarrassed blush and disapproval. After a moment of thought, he grabbed her hand and grinned when she turned to look at him with surprise.

"Kurenai-sensei _did_ tell us to enjoy ourselves…"

* * *

Spending an hour cooped up in the Hokage's office did not specifically appeal to a man like Jiraiya. Sarutobi had only briefed him on what he had already figured out himself; Uzumaki Naruto's team was entering the Chuunin Exam. Jiraiya noted that an unusually collective number of new genins were taking the exam this year. The same applied to the lands sending their participants to Konoha for the occasion. The Kazekage's own children would be in Konoha and Jiraiya had heard rather unpleasant rumours regarding the youngest.

His former sensei had voiced his concerns regarding the matter. "Your reports do raise suspicion… Jiraiya, I would like you to stay in the village during the Chuunin Exam."

The white-haired Sannin had chuckled. "Bit of a worrywart these days, aren't you?"

Puffing smoke from his pipe, Sarutobi glanced over at the broad-shouldered man, the edges of his eyes crinkling into a small smile. "And do you not consider yourself to be the same, Jiraiya? I noticed you have been paying particular attention to Naruto lately… I'm surprised you haven't approached him again."

"The kid's almost ready but not quite there yet." Jiraiya joined the aging Hokage by the window and gazed down at the bustling village life. "At this stage he doesn't need me yet. It wouldn't make much of a difference even if I took him aside to teach him. They won't help him as much as something he develops by himself. If he really does need my help, he'll come looking – he knows a good ninja when he sees one."

A pause of consideration. "While slightly boastful, those are some wise words, Jiraiya."

However, as Sandaime was well aware, wisdom usually came with a contradictory trait.

Jiraiya had discovered the spot – his little heaven – the other day. The roof of the weapon smith's store provided efficient leverage and proximity to the bathhouse. Several run-ins with displeased women had taught Jiraiya to keep his distance. Luckily, the bathhouse had sections where coverage was rather… sparse…

He pressed his eye against the spy glass and licked his lips in anticipation. "Ohoho! Got a body like a mountain road, that one! All curves and turns." Flicked the dial to adjust the magnification. "Ooh, a child's face, but the body – oh the _body_. Definitely all woman!" The giggle rose as Jiraiya tilted the monocular to another angle.

… Was someone poking his backside?

"Oi, shoo off." He waved about with his hand without looking away, attention once again diverting back to his monocular. "Oh, this one – flick your hair, baby, flick – _oh yeah_!"

Poke.

"Come on, turn around…"

Poke.

"_What?"_ Jiraiya growled, looking over his shoulder. He stared at the small white dog nudging his rear-end with his snout. The Sannin's eyes narrowed. "Oi, pup, wanna leave a man to his business?" Seemed like it had no intention to. Jiraiya frowned and reached out. "What, you want to – OW!"

The dog clamped down on the man's fingers with all too much joy.

"What the hell?" Jiraiya grunted. He tugged at his ensnared hand, glancing back at the bathhouse. "Get off!"

He sensed a presence behind him. Turning to look, he saw a flash of bright hair and dull red fabric before a familiar pink-haired girl, standing on the opposite building, cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled, "PERVERT!"

Jiraiya groaned. _Crap._

"Job's done, Akamaru – let's go!" a voice called from below on the street.

The dog's ears perked up and released its prize, licked it with a wet tongue and disappeared over the edge of the roof. Jiraiya rubbed at the red marks on his hand; at least the dog had the tact not to pierce skin. Scowling, he looked down onto the street to see three children fleeing around the corner, darting away from the extent of his vision.

_Wait a minute… _Jiraiya stared, ignoring the dangerous glares of the villagers around him. _Those kids…_ _did he say "job"?_

Eyes widening, Jiraiya snapped his head to look down at his unbitten hand. Empty.

"Oh… oh no you don't!"

* * *

Team Eight raced down the streets of the Leaf Village, their laughter trailing behind them.

"Woohoo!" Kiba howled, cackling, earning several disapproving looks from some of the elder villagers they passed. "That was awesome, guys! Priceless! Holy cow – did you see his face?"

Akamaru nipped at his flapping trouser legs. _"Oi, I was the one who distracted him!"_

"Oh yeah, Akamaru, you did good, too, boy. How'd the geezer taste?"

Naruto grinned and pocketed their prize. "That'll teach him to spy. You think he's all beaten up yet? Those ladies looked pretty angry – and when women get mad, they can sorta trash through a few buildings to kill someone."

"You don't think that was a little silly," Sakura began to say but when she saw the boys' raised eyebrows and pointed looks, she sighed and allowed a smile to surface. "Okay, so it was… kind of fun."

"Kind of?" Kiba repeated. "Hell, it was… it was just cool. Like – oh hey, there's nowhere to hide that way, guys!" He ushered his teammates into a side street, peeking back to see if they were followed. "Can't see but I can smell him – he's coming after us alright."

"We can run him a false trail with my clones," Naruto plotted. "What do you think of that?"

"He's a Sannin, Naruto," Sakura pointed out. Their morning runs truly had boosted their stamina; none of them was short of breath to this point. "Do you really think he would be fooled by a few kage bunshin?"

"But we snagged that spying thing of his, didn't we, Kiba?"

"He was distract… oh, okay, fine. Give it a try. Just let me see if he's…" Sakura tried to look over her shoulder, and in doing so failed to notice that her teammates were turning left into another street while she continued down their initial path. "I don't think he's-"

"Sakura-chan, this way!"

She turned back. "Wha-" And ran straight into something solid.

Naruto and Kiba traced back their steps. "Hey, Sakura, where are you…" Kiba's voice trailed off when he saw that the pink-haired girl was not alone.

There were two people. A girl in a violet-shaded dress, clad in fishnet. Her hair, blonde, was done up in four pigtails. Naruto stared at the large iron fan strapped onto her back. _Is that a weapon?_ Similarly, her companion, a boy in a black costume, had a bandaged… thing on his own back. As they neared the newcomers, Naruto noticed that the boy had a unique design of strokes on his face. _A guy wearing makeup… now I've seen everything._

Both looked older than the members of Team Eight and both bore the hitai-ate of the Sand Village. Akamaru whined and coiled around Kiba's leg. Naruto got the message; these people weren't to be messed with.

The boy was leering down at Sakura. "Did you just crash into me?" he asked in a not altogether friendly tone.

Sakura was reeling back, shaking her head to clear the lingering vertigo from the impact. "I'm sorry," she started to say, her gaze a little unfocused. They snapped to attention and widened when an arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her back from her intended route. "E-Excuse me-"

The boy leaned forward, his face close to hers, their cheeks almost brushing. "Well, it's not every day I bump into a pretty girl," he said musingly. "And that hurt, you know. You should make up for it…"

"Hey you!" came Kiba's shout. Akamaru was growling fiercely by his side. "She said sorry, so let go of her already."

The older boy frowned and straightened. "Is this all Leaf ninja are about? All talk and no action?"

The pigtailed girl rolled her eyes and looked languidly at him. "Don't pick a fight now, Kankurou. There'll be trouble for us later."

"Who cares?" the boy – Kankurou – shrugged. He tightened his hold on Sakura. "We can play for a bit before _he_ gets here." To Sakura, in a whisper: "We'll just have a bit of fun, right?"

Something in Naruto… snapped at that comment. His hands were drawn into tight fists, nails carving crescents into his palm. It was taking him every trickle of self-control not to charge the offender. A guttural snarl rose in his throat. "Let go of her," he said, enunciating every word slowly, clearly, furiously. "_Now_."

The girl sighed and crossed her arms. "If this gets ugly, remember I'm not involved."

"Che. Come on, Temari."

"No."

"Fine." Kankurou traced his finger down Sakura's cheek, ignoring her struggles. "So, do you want me to ruin that pretty face of yours before I kill you?"

Sakura stiffened. A rush of thoughts flooded her mind. Foreigners, and they were dangerous. Why were they here? Chuunin Exam? She found herself hoping that it was not so. And among the contemplation, the suspicion, was a spark of resentment, triggered by more than fear.

Her elbow stabbed into the boy's ribs – his "oof!" as the air escaped his lungs was oddly satisfying. But still, his grasp on her was firm, and Sakura twisted, and punched him in the jaw. Crack! His head snapped back and he staggered back into his surprised friend.

_Oh yeah,_ _that felt good_. It seemed that Sakura had discovered another use for the hard joints sewn into the gauntlets.

She quickly put some distance between herself and the two mysterious Sand shinobi. But Naruto was already rushing up, a terrifying growl of fury the only warning she had before he brushed past her. Sakura's eyes widened. She knew from her own encounter and didn't need Kiba's startled yells to tell that their antagonists were precarious.

Sakura grabbed a fistful of her teammate's jacket. "Naruto!" And when he struggled against her braced weight, she threw her arms around him, holding him back. "_Naruto!_"

Was that her heart thumping that quickly or was she feeling his beat through his back? He stilled. "That's enough… I'm okay."

He seemed to slump as she warily released him. Kiba gently edged him back and stood in front of the both of them. "If you're looking for a fight, you've got it," the Inuzuka boy said in a steely voice to the Sand pair. "But here, and with you showing the first hostility, you're not on very safe ground."

Kankurou snorted. "You think we're afraid of you?" He was reaching over his shoulder for the strap of the bandaged parcel on his back. Team Eight tensed. "Leaf ninja are weaklings – you three are perfect examples."

The blonde girl looked sharply at him. "You're going as far as to use Karasu?"

"Why not? They-"

Several things happened then.

Akamaru tipped his nose to the air and immediately burrowed into Kiba's jacket, whimpering. Kiba himself lowered into a crouch and muttered, "Shit! What _is_ that?"

Kankurou and Temari froze.

Killer intent swathed the area.

And a low, dusty voice came from above, as quiet as the wind's whisper. "Kankurou. Stop it."

Naruto turned to seek the source. He could smell something… Sakura's hand (he couldn't remember when she had clung to him) was squeezing his arm so tightly that it hurt.

"You're a disgrace to our village."

Team Eight found themselves staring at a short red-headed Sand ninja with dark cerulean eyes, shadowed circles ringing them and a large gourd strapped to his back. He was standing in a nearby tree, flipped, attached to the trunk by his feet. Kiba took an instinctive step away. This boy – this _person_ – exuded more enmity than the previous two Sand ninja had together.

And he smelled like blood.

Kankurou withdrew his hand from the bandaged strap and smiled uneasily. "Ga… Gaara." Naruto noticed the tremor in his voice and looked back at the redhead. They seemed to be allies but not quite friends. It was perplexing – but one thing was for certain, he told himself darkly; neither of them were _their _friends.

"Pathetic," the entity known as Gaara spoke again. "We didn't come to the Leaf Village for you to lose in a fight."

"Listen, Gaara." Kankurou spread his hands in an attempt to explain. "They were the ones who started it. I was just-"

"Shut up… or I'll kill you."

Naruto spread his own arms, but only to cover Sakura and back away to join Kiba. He gathered himself. "Hey, look," he began, but was interrupted by the _clack clack _of geta behind them.

"Ho… what have we got here?"

He whipped around, expecting another foe. "E-Ero-sennin!"

While the white-haired man was not quite the reinforcement Naruto had had in mind, he was assured by the Sannin's presence. No matter how perverted and silly he was, Ero-sennin was a credible ninja. He was strong. He was an adult. He would take care of things.

Jiraiya's eyes focused on each of the Sand ninja, pausing longer on Gaara. "You three are here for the Chuunin Exam, aren't you?"

"I am Sabaku no Gaara," was the reply, as if that spoke volumes itself. Naruto had the feeling he would remember that name for a long time to come.

Then they left. Gaara just turned and walked away. Kankurou and Temari hesitated but eventually followed, as if he was the leader despite their obvious domination of age.

No one felt much like breathing until they were out of sight. Jiraiya excused himself promptly afterward with a smile that the genins suspected to be fake, and walked back the way he had come. He hadn't even asked for the return of what they had snatched from him.

"They were…" Sakura didn't know the right word. She held Akamaru close to her chest, hoping her shudder would not frighten the unnerved puppy.

"What… was that?" Kiba murmured.

Naruto was still staring at the road Gaara and his team had taken. "I don't know, Kiba," he said softly, "but I think this is just the beginning of what the Chuunin Exam really is."

The encounter was opening up the gates of realisation to him. Ninja from other countries, of varying strengths, would be there at the Chuunin Exam. As their competitors. The Rain nin they had seen several days ago. People like Gaara. There had to be people like Gaara's team, and to complement, Naruto didn't think the test itself would quite be a walk in the park. But no matter what it was, he was grimly certain that Team Eight would pull through together, as a team.

"… Let's go get some ramen, guys. We've got a long day tomorrow."

* * *

A/N: Sorry about that horribly late update. My only excuse is that I was procrastinating a lot. I kept getting distracted - I think those eight or so oneshots I've written between this update and the last speak for themselves.

I'm not quite sure if this chapter is up to normal standards. I usually don't write chapters over such a long span - I usually get a lot of it out in one go. But because there were times when I didn't feel like working on this story, I put it all together over 2 months, and to boot I haven't proofread it yet. Again, apologies if there are spelling and grammatical errors.

I think I tried to fit too much into this one chapter. My mistake. I should have developed things a bit earlier, and I didn't think that delaying the Chuunin Exam even more would be a smart move. I felt the need to get Naruto to learn another jutsu; I figured it would make writing fight scenes a lot easier. I think I rushed some things, too.

About Iruka: I didn't really see the point of the 'preliminary test' in canon, and I think Naruto's team did enough thinking to make up for it. I tried to give Iruka a good reason for not speaking up.

The idea for Sakura's gloves came from another anime I remember watching. I think it was called Super Yoyo or something like that.

All in all, I know I'm really late. I told myself I'd get it in by my fifteenth birthday, and that was in late November. Sorry! I hope to fit back into my normal writing schedule now that I have this out of the way. Merry belated Christmas everyone!


	13. All Or Nothing

**Chapter 13 – All Or Nothing**

Naruto would be lying through his breakfast if he tried to tell anyone, including himself, that he was not nervous. He had been jumpy all morning, bursting with adrenaline. Somehow he was excited, anxious and a little scared at the same time. He was strangely comforted to see the same emotions reflected in Kiba and Sakura when he joined them in front of the Academy. They were about as ready as he was – he wasn't alone.

"Mou, you're late, Naruto," Sakura scolded half-heartedly. She was sitting on the swing Naruto had once spent too many hours occupying.

"Sorry, got a bit distracted, I guess." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "But I'm all set now! You guys ready too?"

Kiba kicked himself off the tree he had been leaning against. "Ages ago. Been waiting for you, Naruto. Let's get this show on the road, eh?"

"That's supposed to be my line!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Well, I say-"

"_I_ say you two idiots break it up already," Sakura sighed, separating the two boys. She made sure they didn't see her lips curving into a small smile. The usual squabble set a light-hearted atmosphere that she found weirdly reassuring. Sakura breathed deeply and briefly closed her eyes for a moment. Kurenai had taught them to find their centre, the tranquil focus.

"Whatcha doing, Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice asked. Sakura opened her eyes to find him gazing amusedly at her.

"Looking for my happy place," she replied. Naruto grinned; it was what he liked to call their meditations.

"Come on, you two," Kiba called. Akamaru accentuated his words with a bark. "We came early to check things out, remember?" Then he grinned. "Oh wait, Naruto's already started – my bad!"

"I – Kiba!"

Yes, Sakura concluded, shaking her head as she followed her teammates inside, there was nothing to worry about.

There was commotion when Team Eight emerged from the stairwell. Two older genins were barring access to Room 301, and those trying to get inside were protesting. Naruto caught a glimpse of Sasuke's team amongst the cluster, but was distracted by the resounding crack of skin to skin contact as a girl stumbled and fell to the floor beside a boy in a ridiculous green outfit. They had been beaten back by the senior genin.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked as he approached.

"We're just giving you kids a hand here," one of the interfering genin answered, smirking. "This test isn't just your everyday walk in the park. People have died taking it. You guys won't be able to handle it; even we failed it three times."

Naruto frowned as he glanced over at Kiba. Something was off about the situation. He received a barely perceptible nod from the other boy and stood a little straighter. Kurenai-sensei had already warned them to be cautious. It seemed the exam had already begun.

Sakura was kneeling by the pair who had been knocked back earlier, helping them up, but was too occupied keeping track of the activity to notice the admiring sparkle in the green-clad boy's eyes.

Sasuke stepped up, looking as nonchalant as usual. "Interesting argument you have there, but I will pass this exam. And release this genjutsu; this is only the second floor."

The two older genins looked amused. "So you've spotted it, have you?" Bandage-Face said. A sharp glint entered his eyes. "But don't think that's good enough!"

Without warning he lashed out at Sasuke. The latter's eyes narrowed as he reflexively spun and raised his own leg to counter. Akamaru whined; a fight was breaking out. Naruto started forward.

All Sakura saw was a blur of green, and suddenly the tall boy with the bowl cut hair was standing between the two combatants, hands tightly gripping their legs before either could land a blow. She heard the brown-haired girl beside her – the boy's teammate, Sakura assumed – sigh in exasperation. Sakura's eyes widened. Although she had been more interested in Sasuke's love life than his physical prowess, she knew that he was indeed no pushover, and stopping his attack while simultaneously dealing with another was impressive. The newcomer was nothing like the boy who had easily been pushed around.

"Damn, that guy's pretty fast," Kiba murmured. Naruto could not agree more. They were already getting a glimpse of the upcoming competition and the scales were set high.

The crowd was starting to disperse, realising that they had been deceived. "We should go, too," Sakura said.

"Yeah…" Naruto found himself distracted. The boy from before with the freakishly thick eyebrows was walking towards them. The snippets of conversation Naruto had managed to overhear between he and his long-haired male teammate – something about "holding back" – made him wary of his true abilities.

But the boy strode past him and stopped in front of Sakura. "My name is Rock Lee!" he said abruptly, making his audience stare. "I would be honoured to know your name."

Sakura blinked, taken aback. "Um… Sakura. Haruno Sakura." She was unnerved by his unblinking eyes.

"A beautiful name!" Rock Lee flashed a blinding smile and winked. "Please be my girlfriend, Sakura-san!"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "What's with him?" he asked, nudging Naruto.

The short blonde was frowning. He knew his crush on Sakura had toned down to sensible friendship, but still…

Sakura was very, very tempted to break it out bluntly. She would sooner go out with Kiba, even _Naruto_, than with someone like Rock Lee. However, recalling the accumulated effects her negligence had had on Naruto and keeping in mind that maintaining friendly tones with fellow Leaf genin wouldn't really hurt, she took a moment to carefully choose her words and decline the offer politely.

She ended up telling him that he was very 'unique' and that he should find someone who was equally so.

Much to her dismay, her comments only seemed to stoke his compassion, and Sakura was eternally grateful when Rock Lee's female teammate, finally irritated, grabbed his ear and yanked him away. "Leave her alone, Lee. Do the words 'Chuunin Exam' mean anything to you?" she scowled. By now they were the only teams left lingering in the hallway.

Once she had finished telling Lee off, she turned back to Team Eight. "Sorry about that. I'm Tenten, and that's Neji over there. We're taking the exam, too," she added unnecessarily. Naruto's team nodded and politely made their own introductions.

'Neji over there' was a stoic boy with long dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. He didn't say a word, instead turning to walk away. The two teams followed him – Lee caught up to him and started lecturing him on manners and something that sounded like, "The Flames of Youth". Tenten rolled her eyes and gave Sakura a smile. "One doesn't say anything and the other talks too much – they balance each other, don't you think?" She shook her head.

"That guy," Kiba said in a low voice to Naruto. He was looking at Neji's back. "He's a Hyuuga."

Naruto tilted his head. "A Hyu… oh, you mean like that girl from our class who's on Sasuke's team? Er… Hinata?" The girl who could never look him in the eye and always stuttered. Come to think of it, she and Neji had similar eyes.

Kiba sighed. "At least you made _some_ connections. The Hyuuga are one of the most powerful clans in Konoha. My mother tells me to look out for them."

Looking over at Neji with this new knowledge didn't really change much of Naruto's first impression. Neglecting to introduce himself and blatantly ignoring his own teammate instinctively summed him up as a sore prick. He reminded Naruto of Sasuke.

Neji seemed to have shaken Lee off and had gone on ahead. The green-clad boy frowned after his teammate for a moment. Then, to the surprise of both Naruto and Kiba, he slowed his pace so that he was walking alongside them. "Hello," he said brightly.

"You're pretty cheerful for someone who just got turned down for a date," Kiba noted. Naruto thought he was being rather blunt, especially when Lee let out a disappointed sigh and appeared to be downcast. However, before he could say anything, Lee raised his head again and they saw that he had a look of determination.

"I must work harder to earn Sakura-san's love!" he declared.

Naruto scratched his cheek. _He's optimistic…_ "So, uh, Lee, you were pretty fast back there. You must be strong."

"I train myself very hard every day. I aim to be a genius of hard work!"

"A genius of hard work?" Kiba repeated dubiously.

"Yosh!" Lee confirmed. "There are natural geniuses among us. For example, my teammate Neji is a prodigy. However, for someone like me who is born with no talents, I must produce results from my own hard work." He looked over at his companions. "Another example would be Uchiha Sasuke of your graduating class," he added, thick brows pulling together at the name. "I hear he is very gifted."

Naruto thought Lee was holding something back – it sounded a bit like regret and envy cast in together. The blonde genin glanced across at Lee. It wasn't that hard to figure it out – after all, Naruto himself had been subjected to the same sense of rivalry.

"That boy back there."

For a moment, Naruto just looked around him, blinking. Then he realised that the voice had come from Lee's teammate, who had up until now paid no attention to Team Eight. "Damn, so it wasn't throat cancer?" Kiba muttered under his breath. Naruto elbowed him; he tolerated Neji's dominant personality about as much as his teammate did, but it was hardly any reason to breach the polite manners Kurenai-sensei had made sure they presented.

"That boy," Hyuuga Neji repeated without slowing his pace or looking back, "he is the last of the Uchiha clan."

He said nothing else, but it was more than enough to get Naruto thinking. It seemed even Neji expressed an interest in Sasuke. Some small part of him was irked that no one bothered to acknowledge _him_ – it was always Sasuke. But Naruto wasn't quite worried about that at the moment. In this case, it was actually _better_ that no one was interested in him, or his team. It meant they weren't considered a threat. And Naruto had already figured out that the dumbest thing you could end up doing here was to underestimate anyone.

Still, he was slightly taken aback by the competitive spirit that ran even among genins of the same village, especially Konoha. He really needed to take this seriously.

It was assuring to see Kurenai standing outside the doors to Room 301 – if there was anyone Naruto actually wanted to see before his team headed off to this exam, it was his sensei. Sensei was always so calm and rational; she always knew what to do. Kurenai-sensei was hardly ever wrong – he'd seen that for himse-

Okay, maybe not.

"Wow," Kiba whistled softly. Akamaru tipped his nose to the air and sniffed.

Naruto didn't need to ask. He had just noticed the man standing next to his sensei, and all of a sudden he found himself doubting Kurenai's taste in acquaintances.

Standing next to Kurenai was a taller, more eyebrow-defined version of Rock Lee.

There was certainly no prejudice, of course. It was just that… Lee was already a rather 'unique' person, as Sakura had already phrased. Naruto thought 'one of a kind' was a synonym for the word but now it seemed he might have to question that.

"Ah, and here come our youthful genins!" the man said enthusiastically. And loudly.

"Naruto, Kiba, Sakura; this is Maito Gai, jounin sensei to a team one year your senior," Kurenai informed them. Naruto thought her smile was a little strained as he bowed alongside Sakura and Kiba. That alone told him that Maito Gai was as eccentric as his lookalike genin.

Of all the things Naruto could hit right on the nail, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about this. He was glad Sakura looked equally bewildered. However, he knew looks had to be deceiving. Lee had proven him wrong – surely his teacher had credible skill and abilities. Naruto tried to look at Maito Gai through his light.

He failed. Badly.

"So these are your genins, Kurenai," Gai remarked. He swept his approving gaze along their faces, pausing briefly on Naruto's. Like Inuzuka Tsume, a certain intrigue sparked in his eyes, and Naruto knew Maito Gai was as qualified as any as a Konoha jounin. "I see you have taught them well. They are obviously blessed with the Power of Youth!"

"I'm sure they could learn a lot from your students," Kurenai complimented back.

Gai just gave her a bright smile. Then he turned to his genins and cleared his throat. "Good luck to the three of you; I will see you all later. Go on, now, springtime is upon us!"

Lee's eyes became shiny as he saluted. "Hai, Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Oh, get a grip! Keep standing around and winter will be here." At least Tenten wasn't just going to stand around. She grabbed Lee by the arm and started dragging him through the now open doors. "Neji's already gone ahead; we'd better catch up. See you later, Sakura." It seemed the two girls had become friends of some sort. _Girl stuff,_ Naruto thought.

Maito Gai saw his genins through, then gave a brisk nod to Kurenai, bade Team Eight goodbye and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Kurenai didn't waste any time getting down to business. "I'm glad to see you. The three of you can now officially register for the Chuunin Exam," she said.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Sakura asked blankly, voicing it for Naruto and Kiba. She was only frowning for a short moment, though. She had that look, the one Naruto recognised whenever she had thought something out. "Oh… it was a test."

"A… test?" Naruto echoed. _What's that mean?_

Kiba nodded abruptly. "I get it now." At Naruto's expression, he explained. "We can't take the test unless all three of us are here. They wanted to check if we were individually willing to take the test." He glanced at Kurenai for confirmation. She gave it to him.

"That's right, though the three of you had already settled this on your own earlier on." It made Naruto stand a little straighter, somehow, because there was a certain pride in Sensei's voice, like she had been convinced all three of them would turn up. "Be ready for anything would be my advice, but it seems the three of you are already prepared for that," Kurenai added ruefully, "so all that remains would be to wish you luck."

She placed a hand on Sakura's and Kiba's shoulder. "Look out for each other." Ruffled Naruto's hair. "And good luck. Know that I am proud of you, and will be regardless of how this exam turns out."

Oh, Naruto knew alright, and he wasn't going to let her down.

* * *

"_That's a lot of people."_

"You think?" Kiba murmured. Akamaru was right – not like the boy couldn't see for himself. The room was packed with genins from various villages. There were so many scents mingling together; Kiba could barely make out anything distinctly specific.

He heard a gasp from Sakura and a sharp intake of breath from Naruto. There had to be at least a hundred people gathered in this room. Akamaru whimpered and huddled in his master's jacket. Not all the looks were particularly warm or friendly. His mother had told him last night that the Chuunin Exams were a sort of correlating alliance between the countries but now Kiba wondered how accurate Tsume was.

Amongst the haze of foreign scents, Kiba could discern several recognizable ones. He nudged his teammates. Gathered beside the door were the teams from their graduating class. Teams Seven and Ten. It was rather nice to see some familiar faces. They made their way over.

"Hey, everyone's here," Naruto said.

"Got that right," Nara Shikamaru grumbled. He was leaning against a wall. Chouji was busy eating from a packet of chips beside him. "But with so much people… tch, it's troublesome." Kiba supposed some people didn't change. He wondered if there was anything the Nara boy _didn't_ find troublesome.

"Well, what do you know? Forehead Girl made it too. " A taunting, feminine voice drew Kiba's attention over to Yamanaka Ino. She was hanging off a visibly irritated Sasuke – Kiba was surprised the Uchiha had let her get so close.

"Shut up, Piggy," Sakura responded, but with less annoyance than anyone had predicted. Kiba thought he knew why. Naruto was off talking to Chouji, getting a chip off him. There was uncertainty on Sakura's face. "Hello Hinata, Shino." She looked over to the other members of Team Seven first, receiving a nod from the silent Aburame and a hesitant smile from Hinata. "Hello… Sasuke," she said quietly.

The Uchiha boy looked at her. "Hn, yeah." Then he continued trying to prise Ino off him.

Kiba was the only one looking at him but Naruto didn't hide his relief very well. He loosened as he heard Sakura's words, and his smile was more genuine. It made Kiba wonder if, in the blonde's eyes, Sakura had passed some sort of test.

"Hey, you kids. You might want to keep it down." A silver-haired genin was walking toward them. Kiba took a moment to analyse him. The forehead protector marked him as a Konoha shinobi but Kiba didn't think he'd seen this person before. It wasn't much of a surprise; the Leaf Village was home to a large population. The newcomer appeared to be a few years older than the Rookies.

He stopped in front of their group. "You're the fresh-out-of-the-Academy rookies, right? You should stop messing about; this isn't a picnic."

"Who do you think you are to tell us stuff like that?" Ino asked, annoyed. It was amusing how, in a time like this, the Rookies were all somewhat united.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto. Take a moment to look around you – everyone is nervous about the exam. Quiet down if you don't want to make a scene." They could see that. The animosity was heavy in the air. Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Though I guess I can't blame you, being rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."

"So is this your second time taking the Chuunin Exam, Kabuto-san?" Sakura asked curiously.

"No. It's my fourth year, so that would make this is my seventh try for chuunin."

Kiba could see Sakura chalking that up. "So you must know a lot about this exam."

"You could say that." Kabuto gave a modest smile. "In fact… I'll share some info with you." Out of his weapons pouch, he drew out a stack of cards. "I've burned information into these cards with my chakra. I've had four years to collect the data in these cards. First off…" He picked out a card and placed it flat on the floor, swirling it gently with a finger. In a small puff of smoke, it was revealed to contain a map detailing the number of participants in this year's Chuunin Exam.

Kiba leaned in, interested. It was a waste to turn away free knowledge, even though he was rather suspicious as to why this Yakushi Kabuto was helping them. It was too soon to trust him infinitely, but against a sea of unfriendly faces… perhaps Kabuto had found the acrimony disturbing as well. It seemed the Hidden Leaf had the most participants – hardly a surprise, Kiba reasoned.

"Do those cards of yours have any information on particular people?" Sasuke asked. He had finally shrugged off Ino, and his dark eyes were staid, as if remembering something.

"Yes, they do," Kabuto answered. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Sabaku no Gaara."

Team Eights reactions were tactfully subtle. Kiba turned slightly away, Akamaru whimpered at the mention of the short redhead; Sakura glanced across to the boys, the corner of her mouth twisting into a frown; Naruto just clenched his fists and raised his head slightly, scanning the crowd. It seemed they weren't the only ones the Suna team had encountered. The meeting with Gaara had certainly confirmed what Kurenai had insisted they keep in mind: in the Chuunin Exams, you staked more than your rank, time and effort. You were wagering your life, and one wrong move would tip the tables.

Kabuto's cards reported that Gaara was someone you would prefer to keep away from – and with good reason. Kiba frowned at the data. If Kabuto's research was accurate, Gaara had already completed a B-rank mission despite still being a genin, and had apparently never been injured during a mission – ever.

"Damn," Kiba said under his breath.

Kabuto put away his cards and surveyed the Rookies. "The villages would have sent their best genins to take this exam. Well, the Hidden Sound was just created last year so there isn't enough information for me to be sure, but the rest of the villages are filled with talented youngsters. You should be prepared to meet people like Gaara."

There was a heavy silence among the group. Everyone was thinking over Yakushi Kabuto's words. The fact that they knew he was right only increased the air of anxiety. They would come across many tough opponents and despite his certainty in Kurenai's tuition and the efforts they had put into their training, Kiba found himself dubious when it came to the real question: was it enough?

Naruto seemed to be slightly overwhelmed for a moment but he recovered quickly. He frowned at the gathered shinobi, opening his mouth, then closing it. Kiba caught his eye and raised an eyebrow. What was he up to? The short blonde shrugged and gave him a lopsided grin. Then Kiba understood; Naruto was nervous. And what did Naruto do when he was nervous? He talked. A lot. Loudly.

For some reason, Kiba doubted that would go over very well. Thankfully, Sakura was already talking to him. Trying to reassure him, in fact, having seen through his façade. It made Kiba chuckle. Looking back, he never would have fathomed that it would be _Sakura_ of all people who would comfort Naruto. She seemed to be unnerved, but as she conversed with Naruto, listened to his own assurances in an attempt to cheer _her_ up, and jerked her elbow at him when he told her a bad joke, Kiba could see the tenseness in her shoulders unclenching, the smile relieved of grimness. He wondered if his teammates even knew they had such an effect on each other.

Suddenly, Akamaru scrambled out of his jacket and onto the top of his master's head. "What's wrong, boy?" Kiba asked in surprise. The white dog gave a sharp bark, a warning, and bared his canines. Kabuto and the members of the other Rookie teams turned to stare in confusion, but Naruto and Sakura had picked up on Akamaru's urgent tone, and were by Kiba's side in an instant.

The examination room had gone silent. It made it that much easier to pinpoint the movement of the two genins from Sound as they advanced rapidly on their small group. The hulking one paved the way. Kiba found himself with a kunai in his hand, Naruto and Sakura had already lowered themselves into defence stances. Naruto was poised to spring – but the three genins could see that the Sound male's eyes were focused on Yakushi Kabuto, not them. He pulled back his arm, revealing some sort of metal guard on his forearms, and-

Four steps from Kabuto. It was as far as he got. The genin suddenly stopped, frozen in the position. A thread of inky shadow stretched from his feet and traced back to Nara Shikamaru. The other Rookies had prepared themselves – Akamaru's warning had alerted them, and their classmates prompt action had foretold them that it was no fire drill.

The thuds of twin kunai as their blades buried into the ground where they would have speared Kabuto's feet if the silver-haired teen had not sprang back brought the second Sound genin to their attention. He was airborne, another kunai palmed, his glare on Kabuto.

Team Eight were closest to the scene, and they acted.

Without hesitation they fell into one of the guard formations Kurenai-sensei had taught them. Naruto pounced to meet the Sound genin. He tackled the other boy to the ground, and just as he pulled away, Kiba had his kunai at the attacker's throat and Akamaru was snarling in his face. Sakura had positioned herself between the fight and Kabuto, armed and ready.

"Don't speak of the Sound Village like we don't count. We're not out of the league," the spiky-haired one said fiercely, though he seemed to have trouble raising his voice. Naruto sitting on his chest and Kiba's blade by his neck might have had something to do with it.

"It's no reason to attack someone," Sakura said in a steely voice.

"You-"

They didn't quite get around to hearing the rest. There was a sudden _poof_ and coiling smoke obscured the front of the room. Dark figures wavered in the mist. Then the haze cleared, and a tall, solidly-built man in a dark trench coat could be seen pointing a gloved finger at the cluster of commotion.

"You brats over there; put a cap on it. The exam hasn't even started." His voice lowered. Kiba saw that his face was marred with thick scars. "Do you want to fail?"

Obviously not. Shikamaru released his technique and the bulky Sound genin stepped away, retreating to join a girl wearing his village's hitai-ate. Seeing that the threat had now passed, Kiba pocketed his kunai and stood back so Naruto could get off the guy they had taken down. The scarred man nodded with satisfaction.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the first test. I guess I'll say it now – if you have a problem with each other and want to pick a fight, do it now so I can disqualify you right here on the spot. You _will_ obey me."

No one wanted to argue with that. Morino Ibiki seemed to be fine with that. "We will now start the first test." He held out a small tile with the number '1' printed on it. "You will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you." The chuunin proctors that had arrived with him were already spreading out, each holding a small bag.

Kiba gave his friends a rueful smile. They were going to be separated. _Exactly what is this test based on?_

As if his thought had been snatched from him consciousness and read aloud, Ibiki added, "When everyone has a number tab, we will hand out the test papers."

Test papers…? It was a written test?

Kiba glanced over at Naruto. The other boy had a look of pure horror on his face.

_Oh boy…_

* * *

_Why are these so hard?_

Naruto stared down at his test paper, eyes wide. The characters and symbols of the cryptogram swam in and out of focus, quickly becoming a dizzying jumble of unrecognisable figures. It was giving him a headache. A quick glance down the rest of the paper had done nothing but point out to him that this test was insanely difficult. The questions asked for knowledge that was well beyond Naruto's capability. In fact, it didn't seem like anything an average genin could answer.

But what could he do? Ibiki had explained it very clearly. Ten points to start; each incorrect answer deducted one point, cheating deducted two, get all your points deducted and you got kicked out. And not just you, Naruto reminded himself. It was a team test so if one of the members got a zero, the team was done. Meaning: if _he_ failed the test, so would Sakura and Kiba.

Way to put the pressure on.

He was sitting amidst strangers. Everyone he knew, even Lee's team, was out of reach. Kiba was somewhere in the back of the room, Sakura seated to side. Naruto doubted that he would have peeked at their papers, even if they were sitting on either side of him,. The risk was too high. It was just… their presence could have assured him a little.

Reclining against the perimeter of the test were the proctors. Naruto swallowed every time he noticed the closest one jot something on his clipboard. Someone had been caught. The frequency at which they recorded the marks told him that the chuunins were good at what they did.

He was in trouble.

_Line B, seen in the diagram, is the greatest possible distance a shinobi can throw his shuriken from a tree of seven metres. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the shuriken's range, explain the attack options using this distance. Show your work. _

A _lot_ of trouble.

* * *

Kiba sat up a little taller, giving Akamaru more visual range from the puppy's perch atop his head. The majority of the genins were not writing, too busy fretting over a solution or already stumped at understanding the question. It wasn't hard to find someone who was still working and seemed to have completed most of the questions. The one Akamaru had found, two rows ahead of Kiba, had almost finished his paper.

Leaning down, Akamaru barked softly. "_Eight."_

Smirking, Kiba filled out the box. They were cheating, yes. He had a suspicion that the proctors _wanted_ them to cheat. Why else would be holding them back from kicking the cheaters out immediately? There was no other plausible possibility. Ibiki had told them himself: _The pathetic ones caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the level of chuunin, be proud ninjas._

Morino Ibiki was testing their ability to gather information, and in this situation they had to complete their task with stealth, or consequences would pull rein. Kiba silently read the next question. After so many strategy sessions with Kurenai, he had confidence in Sakura's aptitude and expanse of knowledge. She probably didn't even need to cheat.

Kiba purposefully did not think of Naruto.

* * *

"Number 23, fail. 65 and 17, leave with him."

The sound of chairs scraping back and footsteps fading down the hallway was starting to get to Naruto. So many teams were failing, and it had only been twenty minutes! He regarded Ibiki, standing solitary at the head of the room. Even with the lenient punishment system, the participants had already been cut down to a terrifying portion of the original number…

That, and his test paper was still glaringly blank.

_I'm doomed!_ Naruto frantically cradled his head, eyes tightly shut with apprehension. It was only the first stage of the Chuunin Exam and it was already severely taxing his confidence. At this rate, his team wouldn't even get past the first test. He didn't want to disappoint Kurenai-sensei but this was just impossible.

Honestly – a _written test?_

"Number 31, fail."

Naruto's eyes flew open. They darted to the number taped to the top of his desk. 32. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the Suna-nin to his left rose, cursing, to leave.

As the just-failed genin left the aisle, Naruto could see that, by the window, Sakura had stopped writing. Had she finished or was she stuck on a question? No, she was looking at him. Worried, biting her lower lip. When she caught him looking, she gave him a small smile of encouragement. Then, before a proctor could chastise her, she returned her attention to her paper.

Naruto looked away as well, fixing his stare on a dent in the wooden surface of the table. Making no attempt wouldn't help his team through this. Kiba probably wasn't fretting like him. The Inuzuka boy would be doing _something,_ somehow striving through this impossible task. Naruto's resolution was suddenly very clear; he had to at least _try_. What kind of baka didn't?

Thankfully, twenty minutes of monotonously sweating over his paper helped Naruto decide instantly that he wouldn't be able to answer any of the questions from his own understanding. Now that his mind was clearer than it had previously been, he was a little worried about the mysterious tenth question, which Ibiki had foretold them would be given out at the last ten minutes. He would have to deal with that when it came.

For now, cheating was the priority.

All that remained was to work out how.

The wall clock reported that they were now at the halfway mark of the exam. Not a lot of time remained. He should have decided earlier. Great masterpieces, especially ones like defacing the Hokage Monument, took a considerable amount of planning. More importantly, he had to cheat without being discovered. Uzumaki Naruto was not a discreet person.

But there had to be a way. There was always a way. He just couldn't see it. Naruto raised a hand to wipe away the sweat perspiring on his forehead. "Ow!" he hissed involuntarily. Something had thrust painfully into his ribs.

A proctor – he had a bandage across his nose, reminding Naruto terribly of the uncooperative pair of genins from earlier – looked sharply at him, a rapacious look in his eye. He was waiting for him to do something wrong. Naruto gave him a grin and a tight little wave, and waited until the man finally turned away, unsatisfied, before searching through his pockets for the offending object.

It was something thin and cylindrical in shape, spanning about the length of his hand. Naruto did not risk taking it out of his jacket pocket for clarification, and although the likelihood was somewhat high, he doubted the clumps of old tissue in his pockets had coalesced together into a punishing rod without him noticing. It was something else. After running his fingers along the cold surface and metallic texture, he decided he had a pretty firm idea of what. The hazy scraps of a plan gathered and formed as he looked up at the ceiling. Perfect.

A grin lit up Naruto's features.

He really had to thank that old pervert.

Doubtful as he was when it came to the rate of success, the circumstances required the risk. Thankfully, Kurenai had enforced special training on her genins, and during their individual sessions she had worked with Naruto on his specialty jutsu. He cast a quick surveying glance around the room, speculating. There was no saying if there was a guard posted outside the door, and the distance from the adjacent building was probably the same as that to the roof.

Straight to the roof it was.

Specifically, Kurenai had worked with Naruto on the subtleties of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. She showed him how to reduce the amount of smoke that was summoned in the materialisation of the clones and also helped him with coordination. It was all about chakra control. Tight control, concentrated specifically, would manoeuvrer the range of his clones. It meant Naruto could not only control when to conjure his clones, but also _where _they appeared. He hadn't made terrific progress in the past few days, but he fashioned that he had a general grasp on the idea.

He hunched over and slowly formed the seal under the table, making facial expressions that suggested stress and disturbance from something like a stomach ache. _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_

Kurenai would have been proud. There was hardly any trace of the clone Naruto had just conjured, no sight of smoke and barely any resonance of the muffled pop. But there _was_ an unwelcome clattering sound, followed by a flock of birds taking off in surprised flight. Fortunately, the scraping back of Kankurou's chair as he rose for a break to the toilet diverted away most, if not all, of the attention from the sudden noise overhead. Ibiki didn't even glance out the window.

Naruto silently calmed his racing heart. There were suddenly quite a few unexpected people he owed his reluctant gratitude to. Luck truly was part of a shinobi's skill.

* * *

Above the examination room, a nest of sparrows were unexpectedly disturbed by a faint popping noise and a light mist of smoke. No sooner had Naruto's clone materialised that a flurry of beating wings and feathers assailed him without warning. He cursed and raised his arms to shield his face, stepping blindly.

Unfortunately for him, the slanted platform of the roof didn't provide much space for stumbling around.

He managed to get a curse out through his gritted teeth as his misplaced momentum uninvitingly wrenched him earthwards. The tiles jangled under his weight as the slope guided him to the edge. It was going to be a hard landing – not that it mattered, since he was just a substantial clone of the original. Which meant he _looked _like Uzumaki Naruto, which henceforth meant…

_Crap! Who invented windows?_

The clone immediately shifted his weight back, flapping comically at the air, just as he was nearing the end of the rutted route. Hurriedly, he glued himself to the foundations with chakra, and flopped breathlessly on his back after he had stabilised. He waited with bated breath for a chuunin to investigate, wondering how much noise he had caused. At least the damned birds had left him in peace.

Nothing. No one came. The clone cocked his head, listening, but it didn't seem like he had been discovered. In any case, he did not have the time to sit around; the exam was scheduled to finish soon, and ten minutes had already been taken off for the tenth question.

He carefully padded his way along the roof, taking a moment to decide on a spot. He aimed for the centre of the room, the easier to get a better view of the test below. Holding his tongue between his teeth, he gently prised away a tile, quickly hunching over the opening to prevent a beam of light from entering the room and giving him away.

He took out the monocular his team had 'confiscated' from Jiraiya the previous day, grinning. He made sure not to poke the instrument into the room as he fiddled with the dials and adjusted focus, though he was confident that the odds that he would be discovered were marginally low. Not a lot of people looked up. Iruka had fallen for the duster trick enough times for Naruto to be sure.

The clone peered into the eyepiece, made some final adjustments, pinpointed a generally completed test paper, and started memorising.

* * *

Sakura read over the test paper and the scrawl of her answers once more. She had the nagging feeling that she had already looked over them before but her mind came up confusingly blank when she tried to recall doing so. She double-checked just to make sure. She had done her best to fill out most of the questions and she had confidence that the majority of them were correct.

_I wonder how the boys are doing…_ Sakura hoped her teammates had successfully found answers to the questions. The whole point of the exam was to cheat. Without getting caught, of course.

Throughout the exam period, she had kept constant tabs on Naruto, looking up after completing each question. Sakura was worried about him. The usually boisterous boy seemed to be having a breakdown in the midst of it all. For some strange reason, the sight of Naruto so uncertain of himself unnerved her as much as it had when they had been deciding their entry to the Chuunin Exam.

She was relieved to see him calm down when she raised her head to check on him after completing the seventh question on her paper. He was thinking. It was a good sign. However grudgingly she tolerated his childish pranks, Sakura had to acknowledge that Naruto was creative. He could adapt quickly to a situation – it was what made him so unpredictable.

At the fifty-minute mark, Ibiki called for attention. The tenth question.

The palms of Sakura's hands were moist as she clenched her white-knuckled fingers around fabric of her trousers.

"There are additional rules applied to this question," Morino Ibiki declared. Sakura was entranced by the twitches of the scars around his mouth as he spoke; how had he acquired such horrible wounds? "First, you will have to decide whether or not you want to take this question."

"What do you mean we have to 'choose'?" The Sand kunoichi, Temari, was well on her way to developing a permanent frown. "What happens if we choose not to?"

"It is simple. If you choose not to, your points will be automatically reduced to zero. In other words, you and your teammates will fail."

"Then what's the point of asking? Of course everyone is going to take the question." Only an older Leaf genin had the courage to voice what others were muttering of.

Ibiki smirked, sending shivers racing down Sakura's spine. "And now the other rule… if you choose to take it and answer incorrectly… you will never be allowed to take the Chuunin Exam again."

Complete and utter silence. Sakura swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling parched.

Faintly, she heard Kiba's outburst. "That's retarded! What kind of rule is that? There are people here who have taken the exam before!"

"You were just unlucky to have me this year. Remember this, boy – I _am_ the rule. If you don't feel confident you can leave and retake the exam another year." Dark beady eyes glared out from under the bandanna, sweeping across the room, raising the tension. "Now, let's begin. Those that do not wish to take the tenth question, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

A persistent barrage of questions flooded Sakura's mind. What kind of question would it be? She was pretty certain that she would be able to answer it – but what about Naruto and Kiba?

A genin sitting on the other side of Naruto was the first to surrender to the pregnant pressure. He raised his hand, eyes clenched shut, and apologised to his teammates as they left the room. It wasn't the cruel triumph of the proctor that marked his name that caught Sakura's eye – it was Naruto. The blonde boy had his head lowered, his shoulders trembling.

"_My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Remember it! I'm going to become Hokage one day!"_

If he was doomed to remain a genin for the rest of his life, what would become of his dream? Hokage this, Hokage that… what would Naruto be without this drive?

"_When I become Hokage, everyone will finally acknowledge me!"_

In all honesty, Sakura had not thought much of Uzumaki Naruto at first. A loud idiot who had an annoying crush on her, that was it. But spending months with someone, training with them, arguing over restaurants with them, going through good and bad times together – it made you realise that, beneath the fortunately discarded orange jumpsuit and the bright cheerful grin was a human like any other. Naruto had his own qualities to be valued. If he ever learned to mature, if anything, he would make a damn good Hokage.

If he was chained to genin status, it was all over.

_Naruto… why aren't you raising your hand?_

Across the room Kiba caught her eye. He looked troubled – he knew Naruto as well as Sakura did. In this moment of precarious doubt, their thoughts were one and the same. Naruto.

_Idiot, Naruto… don't you see? It doesn't matter. Raise your hand… if you won't, I'll do it fo-_

"Huh?" Sakura blurted in shock, her eyes widening.

At the front of the room, Naruto's hand was rising.

She lowered her half-raised hand, biting her lip. Although she had been anticipating it, _hoping_ for it to happen, the sight of Naruto giving in made her heart sink. Why was she feeling disappointed?

_SMACK!_

"Don't underestimate me! I'm not going to run away!" a familiar, oddly assuring voice rang out across the room.

… _Naruto?_

"I'll take it!" Uzumaki Naruto continued heatedly, glaring bluntly at the scarred examiner before him. "Even if I'm a genin forever I'll still find a way to become Hokage! I'm not _afraid of you!"_ He crossed his arms across his chest and thrust his chin up. A rebel to the end. Sakura smiled.

"I'll ask you again," Ibiki said calmly, narrowing his eyes at the outspoken genin. "Your life is riding on this decision; this is your last chance to quit."

"I never go back on my words. That's my way of the ninja." For a moment there, Sakura contemplated, Naruto actually looked pretty cool… but then he had to go ahead and stick his tongue out. She heard Kiba snort on the other side of the room.

"… Does anyone else want to leave?" Ibiki probed the room, a hawk among prey. It didn't seem anyone would leave now, not after Naruto had shaken off the apprehending strain. "Very well then…"

The heavy silence was intimidating.

"To everyone still remaining… you have passed the first exam!"

"… HUH?"

* * *

Kiba lightly punched Naruto's shoulder, chuckling. "You were scared back there, weren't you, Naruto? Come on, admit it."

"Pah! Bl… bla… blob… what's that word again?"

"Blasphemy?" Sakura suggested.

"Yeah! Blas – that!"

Yet the undeniable truth was there, in plain sight. Naruto used wit and light-hearted remarks to screen his fears. It was like a mask sometimes, Kiba reflected. Naruto had been afraid – but in the end he'd pulled through. They all had.

The exam had ended almost an hour ago and his team was at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto hoped Kurenai would join them later; he had a lot to tell her, especially his grand scheme.

"You didn't realise that the real motive behind the test was to cheat, did you?" Sakura said wryly after Naruto had recounted his resolve between ravenous mouthfuls of miso ramen.

"Of course I did!"

"Liar."

Naruto made a muffled noise of protest; Sakura raised an eyebrow. Hurriedly, he gulped down the noodles. "Hey, I passed, didn't I?" They amusedly admitted that he had. Abruptly, Naruto's eyes darkened. "Did you see that man's scars?"

Sakura fidgeted with her chopsticks while Kiba absently tipped some of his soup on a platter for Akamaru. They had all been spectators to the horrid mess of damaged tissue blemishing Morino Ibiki's head. The special jounin had told them how he had acquired the injuries, also explaining the significance of efficient information gathering.

Glancing over at his silent friends, Naruto felt a tight knot of heavily-wrought emotions settle in the pit of his stomach. Meeting Ibiki and understanding the origin of his permanent wounds had helped him realise something; a single person's inept competence would affect the entire team, possibly resulting in capture and, ultimately, death. Back in the examination room, Naruto had been so close to failing his team. Except that had been a planned exam with minimal degrees of threat. If they had been on a real mission…

Naruto quietly stirred the broth in his bowl. Something could have happened to Kiba or Sakura. Both of them. Kurenai-sensei, Akamaru… all of them. What if he couldn't protect them?

"Come on, kids. Another round? On the house, how 'bout it?" Teuchi had noticed the subdued state of his customers. He gave them a considerate smile when they looked up. "This calls for some celebration, doesn't it?"

Yes, Naruto thought, they had successfully cleared the first part of the Chuunin Exam – but that was not the end of it. More challenges would be waiting for them, undoubtedly sheer and difficult. Mitarashi Anko – who had burst into the room through the window with awkward timing – had already informed them that the second stage of the Exam would be held tomorrow. Supposedly, Kurenai would provide them with details.

He realised that he probably should have left the topic of Ibiki's atrocious disfigurement alone; his teammates, even Akamaru, seemed to be caught up in deep thoughts of their own. They did not openly express their concerns but Naruto could tell from the minor details, like the way Kiba scratched Akamaru behind the ears and Sakura fingered the sleeve of her jacket, that they were troubled. This would not do.

"Hey, free ramen, guys," Naruto said brightly, smiling widely at them. "We still have tomorrow, remember?"

"Yes, you do." The three genins barely needed to turn to identify the voice of their mentor. However, the sight of Yuuhi Kurenai, calm at all prospects, smiling at them, provided assurance of an unspeakable kind. Naruto immediately moved down one seat so that the jounin could join them. There was something warm and comforting about the presence of an adult whom you trusted and held at high regard. Judging from the brightening of his teammates' faces, Sakura and Kiba were undoubtedly of the same impression.

Akamaru padded along the table and settled on Kurenai's lap. He licked her hand. "I was worried about you when I heard about your examiner and came to understood who he was," she said, absently stroking Akamaru's fur. "But it seems I had nothing to be concerned about – the three of you did very well."

"It was one heck of a first test," Kiba admitted. "That guy was creepy. Naruto almost chickened out."

Kurenai's lips were tipped in amusement when she turned to Naruto. "So I've heard."

Naruto's ears went red. What had Ibiki been telling his sensei?

There was a pause as Kurenai placed her order for a bowl of beef ramen. Then she got down to business. "Now that you have passed the first exam you are further into the Chuunin Exams. Tomorrow, you have the second exam; I'll brief you on it later. I can tell you already that, judging from the setting, it may be a physical examination of some sort. Prepare yourself, don't let your guard down."

Physical sounded good, Naruto found himself deciding. Written tests were worse than cold ramen with congealing broth. Horrible.

"On the other hand, you've gotten this far. Most of the jounins hadn't been very certain about rookies in the Chuunin Exam; they were convinced you wouldn't get past Ibiki. You proved them wrong." Ayame delivered their ramen but it went by unnoticed. "I want you to know that no one will hold it against you if you do not do well in the future," Kurenai went on. "Know when to stop, or you may end up hurting yourselves."

Naruto thumped himself on the chest. "Just you watch, Sensei, we're gonna do great!"

"Don't worry, Kurenai-sensei," Sakura chimed in. "I'll give them a good smack if they try to do anything stupid. Akamaru will help me, won't you, boy?"

When Akamaru barked his agreement, content and eager, Kiba gave him a dramatic, wounded look. "What happened to the good old days when you still loved me, Akamaru?"

Naruto felt the lingering tension ease off his shoulders. Being with his team was so easy it was almost scary. It had been so difficult for him to make friends back in the Academy. It was a little strange for him to be included in those special moments between friends, to know that others counted on him and appreciated him for who he was… but he could get used to that.

* * *

Sakura was only mildly surprised to see Naruto waiting outside her house the next morning as she was leaving for training ground forty-four. The first thing she noticed about him was the dark padded vest Kurenai had bought for his birthday. It fitted him well; he looked a little older, more serious, somehow mature. Taken aback, Sakura realised that she could realistically see Naruto as a chuunin. She had failed to notice when the worst student of their graduating class had improved so drastically.

"Ohayo!" Naruto bounced over to her, ever-present grin locked in place. "I thought I'd walk with you. Ready to go?"

"Yes. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep. You?"

"Well enough." She had actually spent most of her time awake in bed, ruminating on the Chuunin Exam. The first test had set a tough beginning standard; she wondered if she was capable of facing up to what the exam would require next of her. By midnight, she had convinced herself that her doubt was not necessarily a bad thing. She was aware of her weaknesses and embracing these faults would help her prepare for the unexpected. Another source of assertion was her knowledge that her teammates could effectively coordinate themselves to cover her weaknesses. The members of Team Eight were like an overlapping chain.

"Does that mean you didn't get enough sleep?" Sakura was drawn back to the present by her companion's inquiry. She was surprised at the concern in Naruto's voice.

She waved her hand. "I'm fine, just fine." Naruto worried over the most needless things sometimes. "I'm surprised you didn't sleep in, Naruto."

He chuckled, a little embarrassed.

"Let's hurry up – Kiba will throw a fit if we're late. Let's get there before him."

On that thought, the two of them stepped up the pace. It had become an integrated routine in the mornings for the two of them to race Kiba to whatever rendezvous they had arranged. Most of the time it was to the park for their run. Hana would sometimes help them pinpoint Kiba's ticklish points if the need to 'punish' him arose, which occurred more frequently than her brother found funny.

"What are you doing with your hands, Sakura?" Naruto asked after a while. He was unexpectedly observant sometimes. They were cutting through the market. The stall keepers were just setting up their stores.

Sakura realised that while she was walking, her hands had continually flexed themselves and the fingers occasionally twisted into handseals. She stilled them. "I took off my gloves last night," she explained. "Kurenai-sensei said it was alright. I spent most of last night practicing handseals and holding kunai and shuriken so I could get used to the feeling."

It was a weird sensation. Kurenai had told her that, given the small amount of time Sakura had been wearing them for, the gloves would not have a prominent effect. Yet taking them off the previous day had, in some sense, instantly awakened her fingers. Weighed down and forcibly restrained, her tendons and muscles had gradually adjusted to the pressure. Once she had taken them off, the movement of her hands was much quicker, but as Sakura soon discovered the sudden removal of weight had unbalanced her coordination. Fearing this would affect her performance, she had stayed up late to reacquaint herself with the newfound nimbleness. She needn't have bothered; unsettled for only a moment, her dexterity with her hands rapidly became precise.

Though she couldn't be sure, Sakura suspected her reflexes had also heightened. She had only been wearing them for a week and already the results were instantly noticeable. She wondered what would come out of the long term… the prospect was phenomenal.

"I see you've got something new, too," Sakura smiled to Naruto. She lightly knocked her fist against his vest.

He reverently ran his hand down the front, absently checking the pockets. "Sensei said I probably wouldn't need it outside missions but I just thought I might need it today. I've wanted to wear it a couple of times before." He grinned and sheepishly tousled his hair. "I'm getting a little too worked up, huh?"

She gave him a genuine smile. "No. It looks good on you."

* * *

Despite the short time he had known her, Naruto should have been expecting that Mitarashi Anko would make an unusual examiner.

"'Don't die!' she says," Kiba muttered, casting the tokubetsu jounin an annoyed look. "Then what's the point of these forms?" He irritably flapped his paper around.

The point? Naruto glanced around at the scattered teams filling out their forms. The point was obviously to gather both the Heaven and Earth scroll in a given limit of five days. It meant fighting for the prize and eliminating your opponents with whatever means necessary. Anko had already told them that people would die in this round of the exam. He hoped it would not come to that.

"Naruto, you forgot to sign your name here." Sakura was pointing at a blank box at the bottom of his paper.

"Huh? Oh, right… where's my pencil?" He couldn't find it. It must have slipped off the rock they were leaning against and dropped somewhere. "Um, Sakura, can I…?"

"Here." She didn't relinquish her pencil immediately. At his questioning eyes, she smiled. "Calm down, baka. I'm pretty sure Anko-sensei was kidding about the death rate. Now quit thinking so much; you're making me jumpy."

She was right. Everyone was anxious about spending five days in the Forest of Death, fighting and struggling to get a scroll. They would be surrounded by enemies every day, every minute, every second. Even now, other genins might have their eyes on his team, judging them, choosing targets. Naruto couldn't afford to wander from the mark now, and upsetting his teammates just wouldn't do. Hadn't he assured Kurenai they would be fine?

He straightened his shoulders and adjusted his forehead protector. "Looks like they're making us stay in there for a while. Did anyone bring marshmallows?"

"Hah! Marshmallows!" Kiba laughed out loud. "Hana told me it's tough in there. You'll be eating snakes and poisoned mushrooms if you're not lucky. But don't you worry – Akamaru and I will find us food if we need it. We know all about survival." Which was true. Kiba was resourceful when it came to the practical things.

Sakura was looking over at the stand the assistant proctors had set up. A black cloth had been thrown over the front to conceal the scrolls and the identity of the person who carried it. Naruto wondered if it was the same cloth Anko had made her grand entrance with. "Looks like they've finished preparing everything," she observed. "We should hand in our forms and get a scroll."

Rock Lee's team was just walking out of the shelter. They were led away by a proctor to one of the forty-four gates. It wouldn't be long before the examination started.

"Yeah, let's go," Kiba said. He was serious now. He and Akamaru had been memorising as many scents as they could so they could identify opponents. Judging from the way Akamaru was retreated in Kiba's jacket, there was some powerful competition.

They swapped their consent forms for a Heaven scroll. The proctor handed the scroll to Kiba, who immediately thrust it toward Naruto, who after some thought held it out to Sakura. "You take it, Sakura."

She gaped, completely taken aback. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him. Kiba was frowning as well, eyebrow cocked. Sakura pushed the scroll back to the Naruto. "You _know_ I'm the weakest out of the three of us – it's not safe with me."

"But that's _why_ it's safer with you," he answered. "If we're ever ambushed, they won't be expecting you to have the scroll, Sakura. And besides, Anko said we couldn't look at it before we got to the tower; you'd be doing us a real favour keeping it with you – I'm bound to peek sooner or later."

Kiba's expression cleared and he chuckled. "Gee, who would have thought you'd actually use your brain for once, Naruto. He's got a point. You'd better keep the scroll, Sakura." He caught Naruto's eye and shrugged. He had realised that security was not the only reason behind Naruto's insistence to give Sakura the scroll.

The pink-haired girl was shaking her head. "What if they _do_ come for me? I won't be able to hold them off – one of you keep it."

"Hey, you kids, make up your mind," a chuunin behind the desk said lazily. "You're keeping the others waiting."

Naruto stepped closer to Sakura and closed her fingers around the scroll. "Come on, Sakura-chan. You're not weak. You've gotten loads stronger – I bet you're stronger than Ino." He gave her an assuring smile. "And don't you trust me and Kiba to protect you if we get attacked?" Akamaru barked and coiled himself around Sakura's leg. "See, Akamaru agrees. You keep the scroll, okay, Sakura?"

Her teammates knew that this was Sakura's weakness. When it came to combat, she was much too uncertain of herself. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for but was too doubtful to directly involve herself. When they ran through formations, she always volunteered to be the backup and defence, a role that was vital, but not always in immediate contact with the enemy.

According to Kurenai-sensei, there was one more exam following the second, and if their team managed to get that far there was a high possibility that there would be fights. Sakura had to get used to being in the frontlines. In any case, the scroll possibly _was_ safer with her. Naruto had no idea how he had managed to conjure up such an intricate adaptation in mere minutes but he congratulated himself nonetheless.

Sakura breathed deeply through her nose, and slipped the scroll into her weapons pouch. Her eyes were focused and held a gleam of determination. "Alright, let's do this."

"About time," the proctor rolled his eyes. "Kiyoshi, take them to gate twelve."

Kiba caught up with Naruto as Sakura walked ahead of them. "You know what, Uzumaki Naruto?" He clapped him on the shoulder. "You're one smart bastard."

"Heh, what'd you expect?" He lowered his voice. "But seriously, we've got to watch out for Sakura. I meant it when I said we'd protect her. And look out for the scroll, too." Eventually, he realised that Kiba was looking at him strangely. "What? Did I grow taller?"

"Pfft, you wish!" Kiba tucked his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. "I just realised that you've become quite a guy, Naruto. You're all leader-like now – and what's baffling is that you're actually doing a damn good job of it."

He walked off, leaving Naruto dazed and staring at his back.

They reached their designated gate with ten minutes to spare. Naruto spent the time double-checking his gear. He had worn two pouches to carry the extra equipment he had decided to bring. The same instinct that had told him to wear his vest had also whispered for him to pack accordingly. He wished now that he had thought to bring a backpack. Five days was a long time.

"Three minutes," their escort chuunin said. "Get ready." Although his job was to look over them, he seemed to be concentrating a lot on Naruto. There was some kind of hidden awe in his eyes, like he didn't expect to see the blonde boy here. Feeling uncomfortable, Naruto reached behind him and folded out the hood of his jacket, slipping it over his head. He had been planning to put it on anyway. His bright hair would be a beacon in the dark environment.

The chuunin moved forward and removed the heavy lock from the gates. "Steady now…"

Naruto tensed and crouched. His friends were right beside him.

"Go!"

Team Eight leapt into the Forest of Death.

Hatane Kiyoshi shook his head as he eased shut the iron gates. "Man… what a kid."

Up in the thick canopy, darting from branch to branch, Kiba let out a loud whoop of excitement. Sakura immediately scolded him for making noise. Naruto found himself with a grin. Half the teams would be cut down in this exam. With such drastic odds, he couldn't help but feel exhilarated like Kiba. He was eager, pumped with adrenaline and a little frightened. He felt alive.

His next leap took him one branch further than he had intended, and Akamaru barked in complaint. Naruto laughed. Now all he had to do was wait for trouble to catch up like it always did.

* * *

A/N: So, where to start... I tried to tone down the canon stuff here, since everyone knows most of it. It was a challenge introducing Lee without involving Sasuke. I suppose the reason Lee didn't ask Sasuke for a fight was because - I'm assuming - one of his reasons, besides testing out his abilities, was to show off to Sakura. And in this AU, Sakura was not with Sasuke.

Naruto's method of cheating was hard to come up with. I didn't think he should just leave the paper blank again; he deserved a bit more. As you can see, I was sort of planning it the previous chapter with Jiraiya. I didn't linger on his cheating because there were too many flaws. Example, I know for a fact that the roof of the canon examination room is not made of tiles. But this is why fanfiction is so awesome.

What else... Sakura with the scroll was pretty self-explanatory. I just wanted to try out something different, that was all. And does anyone recognise the chuunin that escorted them to the gate? Kiyoshi Hatane was a guy mentioned in the very beginning of the first chapter, way up the top - he was chasing Naruto for painting the Hokage Monument. Yeah, I just decided to use him for the fun of it; I hadn't planned anything for him when I made him up. Looking back, you could say that with this chapter, I'm trying to show the difference between reactions to Naruto before he was a genin and after he had proved himself to be capable of passing the first test of the Chuunin Exam.

I forgot to mention this the last chapter, but if you haven't already, vote in the poll in my profile page. It relates to Kurenai and Asuma and the issue of romance - remember to read the note in my profile!

Whoa, long AN. I'll end it here and get some schoolwork done...


	14. Dog Eat Dog World

**Chapter 14 – Dog Eat Dog World**

Naruto impatiently shifted his weight from leg to leg as his team stopped on a wide branch. Kiba had insisted that they pause for him to track scents and Sakura had backed his side of the discussion, agreeing that they shouldn't be wandering aimlessly without a lead. Which was true, Naruto grudgingly acknowledged. They had been navigating through the dense forest for almost an hour and had yet to encounter anyone.

Not that he was complaining – running into enemy forces so early wasn't something Naruto would waste any wishes on. Admittedly though, names like 'Forest of Death' coupled with 'survival' and 'elimination' had given him the impression that there would be relentless assaults on all fronts the moment they stepped into the grounds. Apparently not. They hadn't even been bothered by the supposedly hostile native inhabitants. The environment lived up to its name – no animals, no enemies, no hint of life. But when they struck, it would surely be a nightmare they would want to wake from.

"Naruto, stop moving around," Kiba murmured. He had an ear pressed against the bark, frowning in concentration. Akamaru was sniffing around on a lower branch.

"Sorry," the blonde said automatically. He didn't want to make an annoyance of himself so he stepped lightly behind Kiba, trying to restrain the grin when his crouched teammate scowled, and joined Sakura on the other end of the bough. "Scroll still good?" he asked casually.

"Yes." She shot him a glance. "You really should take it back, you know."

"Not unless you go out on a date with me when we get out of here," he responded brazenly.

Her elbow dug into his arm. "Not even if you could steal Anko's dango," she retorted. Her expression sobered. "You should be a little more serious, Naruto. If we're not careful we could end up as sitting ducks."

He knew that – of course he did. It was very easy to get ambushed in the shadows cloaking the trees. Naruto had confidence that Kiba and Akamaru would warn them sufficiently but also reserved space for the sense that they couldn't rely completely on this advantage. He knew Kurenai could mask her scent from the Inuzukas if she tried, and there was no telling if their opponents could as well. They had to be alert.

And he was. There had been a period of time right when the exam had commenced where Naruto had been so attentive and on guard that he constantly mistook oddly-figured trees as the other genins. He had been _too_ alert then and he was currently trying to find a healthy balance between calm and accordingly focused.

Kiba rose to his feet, head tilted. Akamaru found his way onto their branch again and gave a submissive whine. Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other as the hooded boy frowned. "Is something wrong, Kiba?" Sakura asked in a low voice. Her hand was already hovering over her weapons pouch.

"Not here," Kiba told her, and her hand hesitantly went lax.

"Then what?"

"It's nearby, though. Not even a kilometre."

Naruto walked up to the taller boy's side. "What is?" he questioned.

Kiba shrugged as he knelt down to scratch Akamaru behind the ears. "Trouble. What else do you think?"

* * *

Anko had just finished constructing the Leaf insignia out of dango sticks when a petrified scream rose from the midst of the forest. She shook her head, bearing a small smile. Evidently, it had already started.

The Forest of Death was a harsh milieu to conquer and she imagined that the competing genins had already run into complications. There were numerous poisonous species that roamed the area, and accidentally identifying a plant's elements incorrectly could have fatal consequences. Anko had actually had a discussion with Kurenai and a handful of other jounins a few days prior. Some had commented that it was a cruel predicament for the young rookies. _Too bad_, Anko remembered saying. She had been through worse, hadn't she?

She absently rubbed the back of her neck. It was always the same. No matter how hard she scrubbed, how many hours she had spent in the shower, she could never rid herself of the feeling that putrid malevolence was lurking just beneath her skin.

To drive herself away from darker thoughts, Anko thought of Kurenai's brats. She hadn't spent much time with them but she had paid particular attention to them before the second exam had begun. She had almost laughed; to this day, she still wondered about Kurenai's decision to sponsor their participation in the exam. One more year wouldn't have hurt; the kids hadn't given the special jounin the impression that they were fully prepared. She would just have to wait and see. They had already surprised her once – there was no telling what Uzumaki Naruto's team would come up with.

"Mitarashi-san!" A distressed chuunin materialised in a puff of smoke. Anko recognised his face from somewhere.

"What, something come up already?" she sighed. Something always did. There were always problems somewhere, somehow. They would surface, and as Anko got up to follow the messenger, she found herself hoping that her darkest demons would remain sealed in the pits of her closed conscience. But then, things always went wrong.

* * *

In Kiba's opinion, looking for trouble was just… stupid. He could tell that Akamaru was disturbed, even as the puppy bounded along beside him. He had sensed something big, something sinister. Who would want to go looking for something like that?

Sighing, Kiba looked ahead at Naruto's back. This _was_ the village pariah, after all. What else did you expect from Uzumaki Naruto?

Naruto suggested that they do some scouting. He had been restless for a while now, Kiba knew. He had the tingling feeling that crept steadily up his spine. He was quite certain that he had detected a faint hint of killer intent accompanied by the vague scent of blood. Akamaru had commented that the blood smelt familiar, but Kiba, his nose admittedly inferior to the puppy's, could not confirm the notion.

Yet a part of him had agreed to Naruto's reasoning; if they only slinked around in the shadows, afraid of conflict, they would never get a scroll in time. If they were going to pass this exam, the time to act would be now. It wasn't just a matter of finding and defeating a team; the scroll had to correspond with their Heaven scroll or they would not be entitled to pass. There were only a limited handful of Earth scrolls out there.

Behind him, Sakura paused longer than necessary on a branch, and with an increased burst of chakra, launched herself alongside Kiba. "We're not going to rush into battle, are we?" she asked. Kiba hoped she wasn't feeling the pressure already; he understood that bearing the scroll, a vital item that could determine their success, was a rather daunting task. But Sakura was up to it. Her teammates knew that she was stronger, both emotionally and physically, than she let on.

"I think we're just doing a quick scout at the moment. There's no point attacking without reason. Besides, Akamaru told me he can smell more than three people – there's a pretty good chance there are two teams ahead." Which meant that they were either of the same village and had decided to ally – or they were fighting.

Naruto turned his head back a little. "Hey, do you guys feel that creepy feeling?" It was making him shiver. Something, someone, was releasing an awful amount of killer intent.

"That's what I meant by 'trouble', Naruto," Kiba scoffed. "And a friendly reminder now that you can feel it too: we're going to stick to the stealthy side, alright?" Meaning they were not going to attempt to ambush or interrupt the group he and Akamaru had detected earlier. They were just going to investigate, that was all.

Suddenly Akamaru let out a sharp bark.

Kiba cursed and grabbed Sakura's elbow. "Down!" he hissed at her, and she hurriedly kicked off from a side trunk to assist their sudden descent.

"Naruto!" she shouted, trying to keep her voice low. The blonde boy had heard Akamaru's warning bark and had dropped down to the ground a short distance ahead of them. But instead of rejoining them, he was taking cover by a clump of unruly bushes, silently watching something his teammates could not see.

_What's he up to now?_ Kiba tapped Sakura's arm and jerked his head toward Naruto. Assuming he had good reason to remain so still and quiet, they had found their targets, and they approached carefully. Akamaru let out a low whine. _"Six people. They're strong."_

"Naruto?" Sakura breathed when they joined him. "What…?" Her voice trailed off as Naruto looked at her. His eyes were sharp, focused and serious.

It was fortunate that Akamaru had warned them. The trees thinned and petered out to reveal a clearing. Had Team Eight rushed on ahead, they would have launched themselves straight into a confrontation. And now that he could see what Naruto could, he could understand his friend's solemnity, and he was starting to wish he had not let the idiot convince him to come.

Kiba felt like strangling him for leading them to Sabaku no Gaara.

Akamaru was trembling. It was worse than the first time they had run into Gaara. The puppy flinched and instantly turned to hide in Kiba's jacket, where he cringed fearfully._ What a welcoming committee_, Kiba thought uneasily as he raised a hand in an attempt to soothe his terrified friend.

Gaara's team was not alone. Facing them was a team of genins from Rain. Their leader was a tall, intimidating man with stitches sealing shut a corner of his mouth and a scar that rivalled Morino Ibiki's running down the right side of his face. "It's very foolish of you to challenge us head-on like this," he told Gaara in a husky voice.

For some reason, Kiba did not think that Gaara would be cowed. He hadn't seen the redhead in battle but from their last meeting, he had been left with the feeling that the Sand genin wasn't a pushover. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if he was the strongest of his team.

"That's enough talking. Let's do this… old man." As predicted, Gaara was not at all perturbed. In fact, he looked… eager. Frighteningly eager.

His teammate, Kankurou, seemed to have more rationale. He approached Gaara with the suggestion of figuring out which one of their opponents had the scroll, justifying that it would save them work. But Gaara wouldn't hear it. "Those who meet my eyes like that," he murmured, reaching over his shoulder to pull out the stopper on his gourd, "must die."

Akamaru continued to quiver. Sakura looked away from the scene, forcing herself to remain calm despite the overwhelming tension, and reached out to gently fondle the puppy's head. "What's wrong, Akamaru?" she asked softly. She sounded distracted; she had good reason to be.

In a flurry, the Rain leader pulled out umbrellas from straps on his back and flipped them open in one swift movement. "Then let's do this – here I come!"

Kiba knew that retreating would be the smartest thing to do. He knew he should be getting Naruto's attention, getting them as far away from this battle as possible. It wasn't safe – any idiot should know that by now. But he couldn't muster the will to find his voice. He could only watch what Akamaru had known would happen unfold before them. Naruto and Sakura were equally motionless, and their attention was similarly focused on the parasols hovering over the clearing.

"Ninpou: Joro Senbon!" the Rain ninja snapped, a gleam of triumph already seeping into his voice. He was confident in his technique. And he should be.

Team Eight's breath caught collectively as thousands of needles hailed down on Gaara. Kiba's eyes were wide. No one could have survived that… Sabaku no Gaara had undoubtedly been reduced to a pin cushion. Akamaru must have been warning them about the Rain guy, not Gaara…

"Is that all?" Kiba's blood was fluid ice as the monotonous voice reached his ears. Next to him, Sakura was caught between astonishment and terror. _How could anyone have survived that?_

"Crap," Naruto muttered. "Just _look_ at that!" He was reaching over Sakura and tugging at Kiba's jacket but the latter didn't need the warning. He could well see it for himself.

Gaara was unscathed, the ground around him spiked with discarded needles. He was almost fully enveloped by an impenetrable shield of sand.

The sand. Kiba recoiled with Akamaru. The sand gave off the strong stench of blood.

Kiba was… impressed. The kid had constructed an effective shield in a matter of mere seconds – and out of _sand_. Just what did they teach genins in Suna? He wasn't even fazed by the otherwise lethal onslaught. Not even when his opponent cursed and tried again; a slab of hardened sand lazily rose from the ground and cut off access to its user.

The shield began to crumble and fall to the ground, pooling around Gaara's feet. He hadn't even moved from his original position. "A rain of senbon," he observed. "Very well then… I'll turn it into a rain of blood."

The hairs on the back of Kiba's neck stood on end as a horrible aura spread through the area.

The scarred Rain-nin flinched but quickly recovered and charged Gaara, his pride damaged. Just judging from the previous scene, Kiba knew he didn't stand a chance. If needles from every direction had failed to even scratch Gaara, what would taijutsu do?

The answer was nothing. Kiba and his teammates watched in transfixed horror as thick limbs of sand sprang from the ground and snatched at the attacking genin's body. Within seconds, he was encased in a bulging cocoon and suspended above his stupefied teammates, his visible face twisting in pain and shock. It didn't look like he could move.

Deprived of the chakra to sustain them, the umbrellas plummeted down to earth, spearing the dirt. Ironically, they ventured closer to Gaara than the Rain genin had managed. He was well and truly afraid now, the increasing trepidation causing his pupils to dilate so that they were wild.

"Get… get me out of here!" he screamed down to his teammates. But they took a step back, mouths open yet devoid of words.

Gaara walked over and shook open one of the fallen umbrellas. He held it over himself. "I can cover your mouth and kill you… but that's just too pitiful." He held out an arm and slowly drew his fingers into a forceful fist. "Sabaku kyuu!"

"Oh God…" Sakura whispered, appalled.

The sand coffin exploded spectacularly and sprayed blood everywhere.

Kiba wrapped his arms around the bundle in his jacket that was Akamaru and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He couldn't help but feel that he was drenched in crimson as well – the smell of blood was pungent and searing. There was no doubt that the man was dead.

Slowly, Gaara lowered the blood-spattered parasol and tossed it aside. "There was no pain," he told the remaining Rain genin. "It happened too quickly for him to be in pain. It will be the same for you."

The message: there was to be no survivors.

Kiba opened his eyes and looked toward Kankurou and Temari, the murderer's teammates. They were simply standing there, watching this bloodshed like it was just an unfortunate sport. The face-painted boy even had the nerve to look irritated and at ill-ease. Remembering Kankurou's anxiety and quick change of attitude upon Gaara's arrival the other day, Kiba realised that Gaara commanded fear to its limits. He was no ordinary genin.

"W-wait!" The shorter of the dead man's teammates tripped over his own words. He placed a Heaven scroll on the ground and rolled it toward the Sand trio. "Here – we'll give you our scroll. P-Please let us go…!"

Gaara's response was to raise both his arms, palms facing the opposition. It was Scarface all over again. Sakura had shut her eyes and was trying to control her agitated breathing, having long since released the calm demeanour she had been trying to keep up. She was afraid. Kiba wanted to comfort her, rub her back and tell her that he'd never let that happen to them.

It wasn't until the screams of the Rain nins tore through the air that he finally found strength in his limbs to move. Kiba scrambled backward, keeping low. "We have to get the hell out of here! We're dead if they find us… Sakura! Naruto!" Akamaru was already a mess.

Naruto stared at him, unable to comprehend the words. It took him a moment to pull himself together. He was visibly shaking as he rose and touched Sakura's shoulder. He was trying so hard to keep his cool and not lose his head. "Kiba's right. Come on, Saku-"

"I haven't had enough."

They froze. Too late. Much too late. Akamaru buried himself as deeply in his master's jacket as he could. Kiba slowly turned around.

Sand was snaking towards them.

* * *

When he had been eight, Naruto picked his first fight. There had been the occasional incidents where some older kids would give him a shove or two simply because he was too loud, too bright, too cheerful – trying too much to be their friend. But it was the first time Naruto himself had made the first move, the first time he had retaliated.

After trying to join their soccer game and failing, he had started to argue with the other boys. Naruto had long since forgotten the trigger – he just knew that he had drawn his fist back and punched the leader. Without thinking, without realising what he was doing. He had just known that he was angry, that he was being treated unfairly for reasons he had no inkling of. His arm had moved on its own. He had been too shocked to defend himself against his punishment. He was Naruto, the kid who grinned a lot and took everything at his own pace – not the boy who went around punching people.

It was reflex, Iruka had told him afterwards after breaking up the fight. Things just happened like that; they unravelled by themselves – all you needed to do was give it a push.

Now, for Naruto, all the 'push' he needed was the evident tremor of apprehension in Kiba's voice and Sakura's trembling frame against him. The pink-haired girl was struggling to get a hold of herself, trying to remain strong. She was so scared… was the dangerous sand slithering towards them the cause of her fear?

His heart thumped against his chest as Naruto gathered chakra in his coils and moulded them. He had been doing so much work with his chakra control that the process of shaping the energy was almost second nature to him. But Naruto felt it was more than that. It was fuelled by desperation, by the burning desire to defend everyone, to keep his friends alive. No one was dying on his watch.

With a growl, he unleashed a fully-fledged chakra shield. The dense barrier of chakra rose around Naruto and his team, rotating at a powerful velocity. He wasn't quite sure if he had repelled the sand or if some had managed to penetrate their defence. He really didn't care anymore. Someone was trying to kill them, trying to hurt his friends – his precious people.

Naruto sprang out of the bushes without second thought, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl. A wave of sand swept him back, pushing back his fist before it could make contact. He flipped backwards and found himself lowering into a crouch, muscles drawn taut.

"Get away from us!" he shouted. He seemed to have surprised them. Had they not expected him to attack? Temari was frowning and Kankurou was reaching over his shoulder for the bandaged parcel he carried with him. Gaara hadn't moved. But he did stare straight into Naruto's eyes. His dark-ringed eyes were narrowed.

Something had grabbed his arm. Naruto snapped his head around, expecting to see tendrils of sand coiling up his jacket – but it was only Sakura. She recoiled a little at his reaction, but now he was no longer looking into Gaara's terrifying gaze. Sakura's green eyes wavered, and they pierced deep into Naruto's consciousness.

Another hand fell on his shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kiba muttered. His eyes were fixed on the Sand genins.

What _was_ he doing? Naruto looked over at Gaara, then at the bloody smudges on the dirt. He shuddered. He had been about to start a fight with a heartless killer, not some Academy bully. Slowly, his resolve ebbed away.

By insisting to come here, he had gotten them into this mess. Scouting had seemed like a good idea at the time, to get a good bearing on how things were to be done, how strong their opponents were. They had certainly achieved the latter. Naruto had let his instincts get the better of him. It was his responsibility to get his team out of here. Alive.

Kankurou was the first to recover. He relaxed as if they weren't a threat. They probably weren't. "Heh, it's you three." He paused on Sakura; there was a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

Kiba stepped forward, taking initiative. "Alright, look, my team was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. You've got your scrolls. There's nothing to gain from fighting us. Our teams can just both walk away-"

"You." Gaara's voice cut sharply through Kiba's. But he wasn't talking to Kiba. He was talking to Naruto. Their eyes met.

"You and I are the same."

Naruto's brow furrowed. _The same?_ "What do you mean?" He wondered if it was a distraction for Kankurou or Temari to attack them. Somehow it didn't feel like it, though he was still grateful when Sakura stepped a small way aside so that she would not become an obstacle when Naruto needed to move to haste. They were all tensed, prepared.

"We are the same," Gaara repeated. His teal eyes bored into Naruto's. "We are the special ones."

"What is he talking about, Naruto?" Sakura whispered.

"I don't know." Yet it felt like he should know. Looking at Gaara… the redhead was so certain of his claim. How were they the same? They were different. The petrified screams of the Rain team echoed in his head and Naruto clenched his fist. They were not the same. How could they be?

Temari was starting to look worried. "Gaara," she began, but Kankurou stopped her with a pointed look. With slight hesitation, she fell back. Why were they so afraid of their own teammate? What were they hiding?

Suddenly, Naruto realised that Gaara's teammates were not alongside him like Kiba and Sakura were. They were hovering behind him, as if getting too close would get them mistaken for prey. They weren't ready to protect him, they were ready to protect themselves.

Gaara was alone.

But why?

"_We are the same."_

Naruto's eyes were wide, staring in disbelief. _You're kidding me_. There were people like him out in the world. Had they been mistreated and sneered upon and rejected and been in so much pain? How was it humanely possible? His teeth ground together painfully.

He was looking at another jinchuuriki. Just like himself.

"I will kill you to prove my existence," Gaara went on tonelessly. "Let's fight."

By now his affinity to sand was obvious, and a predictable column of the substance rose behind him, towering high above both teams. Naruto raised his head as the perilous shadow engulfed him. Was his tailed beast the reason behind Gaara's insatiable thirst for blood? If he had not come across Old Man Hokage, Iruka and Team Eight, would Naruto be a replica of the Sand nin?

The sand lurched forward, cascading neatly over Gaara. Various vines coiled around each other in a race to reach their target first. Naruto rapidly concentrated chakra to his feet in preparation to throw himself out of the way.

But before he could, the rearing head of the threat exploded in a soggy mess that spattered against Naruto's clothes. His reflexively thrown up arms spared his face from grime.

The disrupted sand was still poised to strike, though it was ravaged at the tip. Sakura had stepped forward from her original position, a thick shimmering strand of water wound around her clenched hand. It didn't come across as an overwhelming shock that she still maintained an edge over her teammates in chakra control, and Naruto thought she was showing this off rather well.

Gaara's frightening eyes narrowed. "This is between me and him."

"There are teams for a reason," Sakura parried in a voice firm with fortitude.

Naruto heard Akamaru's rumbling growl. Kiba had managed to coax the puppy out of his jacket and both had their canines bared. They said nothing but their ferocity spoke volumes that Naruto appreciated: _You'll have to get through all of us first._ They were facing down dangerous adversaries that were well capable of snapping all the bones in their bodies with a flick of his wrist, and Kiba seemed to be on the verge of giving them a coarse 'read between the lines' gesture with his hands.

Kami, he loved his team.

"You really think you can take us?" Kankurou was once again tugging at the straps that bound the mysterious bundle to his back. He was smirking at Sakura. His dark eyes held the gleam of a hunter. That made Sakura the prey. A low growl erupted from the back of Naruto's throat and he fought to keep himself in check. He did inch a little closer to his friend, though.

"I don't need you, Kankurou," Gaara said flatly. "This is my fight."

For the first time, the face-painted boy looked displeased with his teammate's command. "Gaara, let me-"

"_Neither_ of you should be bothering," Temari cut through. "We have our scroll and risking more time here is pointless. Let's just get out of here already." She looked uneasy; Naruto took notice that she didn't seem to be as intent on violence as her companions. Perhaps there was a fair distinction between males and females.

"You think I will lose?"

"No, Gaara. But we agreed to finish this exam quickly. I don't want to spend longer than necessary in this place." Temari gave Kankurou a sharp look. To Team Eight's surprise, the tall boy took a small step back. "I expected you to take my side," she glared.

Kankurou's gaze slid over to Naruto's team again. The blonde stared back, hard. Finally, the Sand genin relented. He picked up the discarded Heaven scroll. "Gaara, Temari's right. Let it go – they're just a bunch of brats."

Gaara was not keen on submission. "You are both cowards."

Now Kankurou was getting heated. It was curious how quickly he changed tracks. "I want to beat up those guys too – but enough is enough, Gaara. Believe it or not, this forest isn't the safest place. You might be alright but Temari and I don't want to spend any longer here. Let's get out of here, alright?"

"Only the weak seek escape."

"Damn it, Gaara!" Kankurou seized his teammate's sash. "Listen to your brother every once in a while, will you?"

"I have never thought of you two as my siblings."

Naruto shared an incredulous look with Kiba and Sakura. What a way to settle family disputes. Their company seemed to have forgotten that they were still in the clearing.

"Gaara, please. Let's not lose ourselves," Temari appealed. "You can't pass this exam without us." She glanced at Naruto. "He isn't worth the time."

Gaara remained silent. The sand shifted precariously, almost making Naruto jump. His chakra was surging in readiness and he was like an elastic band about to snap.

After a while, Gaara's eyes flickered back to Naruto. The blonde tried to see emotion in the dull orbs; it took an unsurprising amount of effort. It was sad… Gaara didn't even seem like a human. Naruto _felt_ sad. The other boy could only be around his own age. He didn't think Gaara had even had anyone to play with; he'd had no one to reject him from a game and tussle with him. If the redhead had been even half as frightening as he was, any other child's first instinct would have been to flee, not to stay around and bully him.

If he wasn't trying to kill them, Naruto might have felt a certain kinship with Gaara. He wanted to understand how the Sand Village had treated him, how he had lived his childhood. Somehow, discovering that he was a jinchuuriki had softened Naruto's view of him.

"That's too bad, Gaara," he said. His quiet tone drew the attention to him. "I think I know where you're coming from now… but if you try to hurt my team, I'll fight you to the death."

The two held an intense gaze until Temari interrupted them. "Gaara," she persisted.

Her brother did not look away but Naruto was aware that the other boy now held a slight gleam of interest in his eyes. It was almost like Sabaku no Gaara was… scrutinising him.

"What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." He couldn't help but add, "Remember it." It took some restraint to resist from launching into his well-practiced Hokage declaration. Naruto hadn't realised that it was so well drilled into his habits, and the corner of his lips tugged into a small smile when he saw Sakura and Kiba noticeably turn their heads in his direction.

"Uzumaki." Gaara was testing out the sound of the name. "I will see you at the tower."

Although Kankurou and Temari did not move a muscle, Team Eight could see sparks of relief flickering in their eyes.

Naruto nodded. "We'll get going, then." It sounded like his team was expected to pass the second exam.

No, that wasn't it, Naruto realised as his team escaped into the foliage. They weren't expected – they were being _ordered_.

* * *

They had fled in the opposite direction of Gaara's team, but it took Naruto a while to realise that his friends were following _him._ Together, they kept the same pace and stuck close together, but they still let him precede them by half a step. And he was the one who had gotten them in that crisis in the first place. His lips pressed tighter together. He was definitely going to ask Kurenai's opinion on leadership when they got back.

Over their footsteps and the pounding of blood in his ears, Naruto could hear Sakura's breaths coming in hard gasps but he doubted it was her endurance. She and Kiba were more unnerved than he was. Instantaneously he decided that they had come far enough. His team didn't seem to care when he slowed and sat down in the middle of nowhere.

The silence was almost to be expected. After what they had just witnessed, even Naruto didn't feel like cracking jokes. Sakura had Akamaru cradled to her chest and was pacifying the puppy. Naruto was surprised; her voice sounded quite strong. He supposed that, as shinobi, they were required to overcome their fears in an instant. That had been one hell of a way to get them started.

It was Kiba's voice that eventually punctured the wordless atmosphere. "Well… crap." His laugh was a little shaky.

"You're such a poet, Kiba," Sakura murmured. It sounded to Naruto like his friends wanted to distract their thoughts, and he agreed with their resolve.

"That was freaky, huh?" Kiba again.

Naruto glanced at the taller boy. "He didn't have eyebrows," he said, smiling.

"Really? I didn't notice."

"Yeah, bet you were too busy finding a tree to pee behind."

"Hey, you looked like you were doing it right in your pants!"

"Was not!"

"Did you see his tattoo?" Sakura spoke up, and both boys turned to see that she was looking at them.

Kiba thought about it. "The one on his forehead? The red one?" At a nod from Sakura, he shrugged. "I think it was a kanji character, but I didn't see what it said."

"Love." Hearing the word in his own voice only made Gaara even more of a mystery to Naruto.

Sakura glanced at him. "You saw it?"

"I'm pretty sure I got it right. I went up pretty close." Neither of his teammates wanted to question that.

There was another lapse of silence, this time more companionable. Akamaru seemed to have recovered a little and was licking Sakura's hand. She seemed to be deep in thought. "Naruto," she began suddenly, then fell short. He waited, but she didn't continue.

"Back there… Gaara said you were the same as him." The words came from Kiba, but Naruto could tell that it could well have been Sakura's.

He lowered his head. He could tell them Gaara was a jinchuuriki. He could tell them. Not just of Gaara, but of himself. There was little insecurity now, after bonding so firmly with them. There was no denying that he was afraid of how they would react, and yet… Naruto felt he was… almost…

No, he wasn't ready. He just… wasn't. It wasn't the right time, not during the Chuunin Exam, not in a place like this.

"Maybe he was talking about our height." Naruto thought his laugh was pretty convincing – it had been better than Kiba's, for sure. Then why were his friends looking at him like that? They knew he was lying – of course they did. But it was as if… they were trying to see more of him. For a fleeting, heart-stopping second, Naruto suspected they knew. But they couldn't. No way.

"Don't ever let anyone take your title of Biggest Idiot, you hear me, Naruto?" Kiba finally retorted.

Naruto was almost guilty when his heart unclenched. "Loud and clear, Kiba. Loud and clear." After the Exam, possibly. He just… couldn't tell them now.

To alleviate his tension, Naruto told his teammates that he was going to do a quick reconnaissance on the area, and after promising that he would not drag a pseudo-Gaara back with him, he left.

The trees were sparser in this area, Naruto noticed. He remembered that they had passed a river a while back, but after the encounter with Gaara he wasn't sure where they were anymore. Far from their original gate, he assumed. He jumped up for one of the low branches of an ancient oak tree. It was wide enough to hold his body.

Uzumaki Naruto wasn't one to sit down and think. It wasn't in his nature. He thought he could glimpse a little of his friends on the ground. _Always trust your teammates_, Kurenai had taught them. Naruto trusted them with his life. He was a little more confident about confiding in Kiba and Sakura than he had been months prior. He was almost ready to invite them to Ichiraku's and tell them.

_Hey guys, I've got something to tell you… I have a demon sealed in me._

Yeah, right.

Naruto sighed and tucked his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. _I wish I was normal._

He stayed like that for a while longer, and then got up to do what he had said he would. Although it was extremely likely that another team could be nearby and decide to ambush him, Naruto wasn't being nearly as cautious as he knew he should be. Still, he didn't venture very far, and soon found his way back to his friends.

Sakura and Kiba were talking in low voices when he returned. They were discussing strategies and working out parameters they could operate in. For some reason Naruto was grinning. They could almost pretend that they weren't in a pass or fail, life or death situation, and that in five minutes Kurenai-sensei was going to 'ambush' them. In fact, that was how he was starting to think of it. It was much better than the alternative and it heartened him; they had done this before and succeeded. There was no reason why they could not pass this exam.

They already knew that there were only twelve pairs of scrolls left. Gaara's team would probably be at the tower by now. The aim of the second exam was to cut the numbers down by half. The odds looked grim.

"Not just that," Sakura said, looking at Naruto and Kiba. "If anyone loses their scroll, or if their scroll is destroyed, that automatically makes one of the other scrolls useless." In other words, another team would not make it.

It was a rough estimate that only two hours had passed since the start of the exam. They had plenty of time. At least, that was what they told themselves.

"We need to find ourselves an Earth scroll," Naruto told his team, getting to his feet. "No time to be sitting around, guys!"

Translation: it was time to put the events of the past hour behind them.

With a short burst of chakra, Naruto was in the trees. "Last one is a rotten egg!"

* * *

The Forest of Death was larger than Sakura had imagined. They had been wandering about for a while now. The light that seeped through the canopy told them it was nearing dusk, and despite their efforts Team Eight had yet to come across another team.

"Maybe it's too early," Naruto encouraged. "I bet everyone will start coming out at night."

"Like bats?" Sakura suggested.

"Yeah! Like those flying mouses!"

"Mice, baka."

It started to get progressively darker. The forest seemed eerie in the dark. Sakura had once been afraid of the dark. She had been afraid of many things. Not anymore, she hoped.

Naruto stopped and frowned. "I hear something."

Sakura tilted her head. Kiba must have picked up the sound already. He had. "It sounds like someone peeing."

She hit him.

It was the river.

"Safe to drink?" Sakura dipped a finger in her water, watching as the disturbance broke into ripples. They had stopped for half-hour breaks every now and then, but no one had been prepared for five days in the wilderness. If they were going to have meals, it wasn't going to be coming out of a packet.

"Guess so. I don't think anyone would want to poison the river."

Naruto was already at the water's edge, uncapping his canteen. "Hey, how about a swim, guys? The water's pretty nice!"

Accustomed to cleansing herself at least once a day, Sakura almost agreed. Then her face heated rather quickly as she realised what the prospect meant. "Naruto, you… you pervert!"

"What? I… oh." She had to admit; he was getting better at recognising the signs. Paling, Naruto stood up, waving his hands in front of him. "Sakura, I can ex-"

Sakura should have known that something was wrong if Kiba was not sniggering.

"Hey Naru-" But the Inuzuka did not finish his warning before a barrage of kunai slammed Naruto against the trunk of a tree.

There was no time to check if their teammate had been injured. Kiba and Sakura rounded in the direction the assault had come from. "My fault. Akamaru and I weren't paying attention." Kiba murmured, leaning forward into a crouch.

"It's fine." Sakura tried not to think of Naruto. He would be alright. This was Naruto they were talking about.

Akamaru barked, hackles raised. Shuriken sliced between the two genin. Cursing, Kiba leapt back. They needed to see their opponent and determine numbers. Right now. His hands rapidly flashed into handseals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The roiling sphere of flame ignited the leaves of the trees, disseminating quickly. Kiba carefully contained the technique so it would not burn down kilometres of woodland. There was no sign of the assailant.

Without warning, two kunai shot out of the trees to the left of the fire Kiba had created. Armed with her own kunai, Sakura was prepared – but she did not expect the attack to sail over her head and thud into the trees on either side of Naruto's. It was very off mark. Through her confusion she was relieved to see the blonde squirming against his binds.

Sakura darted to free her teammate – but the presence she felt beside her was not Kiba, and she realised this in time to avoid the leg that lashed at the empty space her head had once occupied. Sakura flipped back, landing on the water.

Breathing out slowly, she flexed her fingers. A stream of water rose from the river and coiled around her hand.

Two snarling Kibas were poised behind their opponent. There was only one foe in sight.

The Water Whip felt placid under her control. "Where's the rest of your team, Tenten?" Sakura asked evenly.

Tenten smiled. "I thought you'd know, Sakura. Girls are better than boys."

* * *

Naruto praised his luck. It was unfair that he had been the first one to be picked off. The kunai had caught on the fabric of his jacket and hadn't broken his skin. It was either luck or skill of the person who had wielded them. His judgement leaned more towards the latter when he identified Tenten. Yet at the same time he understood that it meant she was no pushover.

Either way she was wrong if she thought she could keep him from the fray for long. He wasn't keen on shredding his clothing but that was what needle and thread was for. It seemed Yasumagi Shinji should expect a visit.

Tenten appeared to be very adept at taijutsu, Naruto observed as he began to strain. She was keeping both Sakura and two Inuzukas at bay. He would even up the odds. With a tearing sound, his left arm was free.

The sizzling sound stopped him.

Now he knew what those two kunai had been for.

In an explosion of debris and splintered bark, the two neighbouring trees on either side of Naruto began to groan and collapse. Right over him.

* * *

They fought kunai to kunai, and then switched to hand to hand. Sakura stabbed her leg at Tenten's ankle only to have it kicked away. She let the other girl unbalance her and throw her over her shoulder, but used her own momentum as she landed to toss Tenten into the air. With a growl from Kiba, two grey figures gyrating at ferocious speeds surged after the airborne girl.

Sakura's eyes widened as the Tenten twisted and whipped out a lengthy scroll. An incredible amount of sharp weapons hailed down on the pair. Kiba tried to pierce the dense rain, but gashes began to open in the folds of his clothes, spilling blood.

Gathering more water in her hand, Sakura launched another Water Whip at Tenten. She rolled to the side as shuriken whistled toward her, and spun around with another attack, this time aiming for the scroll. It was impossible for Tenten to physically carry such a large mass of weapons – seriously, a _scythe?_ Sakura hoped that the water would render the scroll ineffective or at least hinder the speed at which she launched the projectiles.

Her aim was true, but so was Tenten's. Sakura winced as several thin wounds marked her arms and cheek. It was the water current from her whip that spared her from being impaled; it slowed down Tenten's attacks, giving her just enough time to weave between them.

It was another stroke to the second exam. Each and every team was a foe, even if they were of the same village. It was a mutual understanding. That was why they hadn't wasted any words. Sakura did not think Tenten would go as far as to mortally wound them – but she didn't have to. She only needed the scroll…

The scroll!

Sakura checked on it as she reached inside her pouch for another kunai. Safe. A breath of relief escaped her. She wondered if Tenten had her team's scroll… where _was_ her team, anyway?

Kiba had engaged Tenten in direct combat now. While they couldn't assume that Tenten used limited ninjutsu, the older girl was visibly proficient in taijutsu. She danced beyond his reach, but Sakura still saw her wince when Kiba's claws raked her forearm.

Although he was distinctly male and felt a little indignant at Tenten's last comment, Kiba could not deny that their fellow Konoha genin knew what she was doing. She had successfully evaded his Gatsuuga in tandem with Sakura's Water Whip. But she couldn't be unbeatable. It was two against one.

He swept up a roundhouse kick, and snapped his elbow back as Tenten ducked and slipped in for a jab at his exposed ribs. Her breath left her in a rewarding 'whoosh'. She reeled back, wiping her mouth, before lowering into another stance. Sakura dove in once again.

Where the hell was Naruto?

* * *

His leg had only narrowly avoided getting crushed. Naruto landed hard on his back and skidded along the ground. Sawdust clogged his lungs with each breath, so he stumbled out of the dusty smog, coughing. He couldn't see the others. The trees had closed his passage, and after he had freed himself Naruto had had to rebound off one of the falling trees to escape. _Close shave,_ he thought dourly.

The carcasses of the trees were strewn across his path. Shoving chakra to his soles, Naruto cleared the obstacle in a single leap. He was rewarded with a clear view of the fight unravelling beside the river. A kunai slipped into his hand. The prospect of fighting against a friendly acquaintance didn't quite appeal to him, but no one said he had to like it.

Naruto sprinted toward the commotion, adrenaline jittering. Before he had gotten halfway, however, he was blindsided by a whirling fist. He saw it coming from his peripheral vision and attempted to twist in midair, but it still cracked painfully against his temple. As he fell, Naruto blindly swiped his blade through the air, though he made no contact. He rolled with the impact, absorbing the blow.

Tenten nimbly eluded another of Kiba's Tsuuga attacks. Her face lit up. "Neji!"

"You're back early." The stoic Hyuuga had not taken his pale eyes off Naruto.

Judging from their tone, neither of the two had been expecting the other. "Is Lee around here as well?" Naruto asked, casting around.

"You talk too much."

Neji's outline blurred, and Naruto hastily jerked his head back as a palm jabbed at his face. He grabbed his opponent's wrist as it passed, his other hand slicing down with the kunai. Neji sidestepped, still bound by Naruto's grip. The blonde leaned into his opponent's unstable guard, knee raised. Chakra burst from Neji's open palm, forcing him to let go and propelling him backward.

It was plain that Neji had the upper hand in experience. The dark-haired boy's strikes were precise and drawn tight. He seemed to be slightly faster than Naruto, but it wasn't a speed the younger genin couldn't handle. He could push himself further if he needed it. He hoped he would not have to release his weights. Slowly, he began to retaliate.

Naruto wasn't quite sure when they had moved away from their teammates. He could still hear the dull thuds and metallic clangs but the trees obscured them from his vision. Glancing over, he wondered if it was Neji's intention.

The other boy seemed unfazed. "Who has the scroll?"

"Me," Naruto replied, not missing a beat.

Neji's eyes narrowed. "That was idiotic of you. I'll take it from you now."

He snorted. "What happened to fighting over it?"

"You are a waste of my time."

Naruto was sick of the holier-than-thou attitude. Growling, he gathered chakra. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Scores of clones took form around them. Lowering his hands, Naruto smiled coldly. "How about now? Am I still a waste of your time?"

Neji calmly accepted the new development. "We shall see."

He was promptly screened from view as Naruto's clones pounced on him, charging, shooting off trees, clambering over each other. Naruto had only summoned thirty or so clones to test the waters, but his opponent was already well outnumbered. _Serves the jerk right_, he mused triumphantly.

Then spaces between the clones began to glow. Neji's voice rose above the cries of surprise. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

Bearing witness to the sight before him, Naruto was grateful that he had hung back. A bright sphere of chakra had rose up around Neji, forcefully repelling everything it came in contact with. Clones were tossed mercilessly into the air and into trees, where they dissipated. There was no point of penetration. It was a very effective defence, Naruto had to admit.

It also looked like his chakra shield. He wasn't quite sure how his variation looked from the outside but Naruto thought the form looked rather familiar. In fact, he hadn't thought of using the chakra shield in battle like this. Kurenai-sensei had basically forbidden him from using it without her permission. Perhaps she thought he wasn't ready to handle it. Neji's technique looked much more potent than his.

Still, that didn't mean Naruto was prepared to give up.

Shuriken was flung at Neji the moment he was visible. It was almost expected that he would throw up his impenetrable defence, so Naruto was faintly surprised when his impaled opponent was revealed to have been a log of wood.

Neji did not stay in hiding for long. He struck out from behind, his hand glowing with chakra. One of the clones that had survived the first attack by standing back saw the peril and gave a yell of warning. He was close enough to grab the original by the vest and toss him out of harm's way, but was too slow to dodge Neji's attack.

Face to face, both genins exchanged blows. Neji had a very firm guard that frustrated Naruto. His footwork was defined and he effortlessly turned away Naruto's fists with his movements. Even when he managed to slam his elbow against Neji's chest and throw the latter back, it quickly became clear to Naruto that if he was going to emerge victorious, it would not be through taijutsu.

Leaping back and tossing his kunai, Naruto's hands were forming handseals the moment they were free. Neji simply stepped out of the blade's trajectory, but his opponent had finished his preparations. A large fireball rapidly ate into the surrounding trees, flaring with intense heat. Neji could feel the perspiration gathering at his pores as he took off.

He had never seen a genin produce a Katon jutsu of such sheer bulk and raw power. Although it didn't extend very far, it took adequate chakra reserves to keep a jutsu of such capacity aflame. Neji's eyes flickered. It seemed he had underestimated Uzumaki Naruto.

It was Naruto's turn to launch an unannounced assault. Clones dropped from the canopy, wielding kunai. Neji evaded and made short work of them. But the original was nowhere to be seen. The Hyuuga shifted his stance, casting around.

His sandal nudged against something. Looking down, he saw that it was a kunai one of the clone's had been using. Something went off in Neji's head.

Too late. The blade disappeared in smoke as a fist rocketed upward. Neji's eyes widened. He had no time to dodge. No, he had to retaliate.

"Byakugan!"

Naruto had little warning. His opponent's hand clamped down on the head of the kunai-disguised clone and, using it as leverage, chambered a back kick into Naruto's chest. Sent rolling into the dirt, Naruto tried to make sense of the situation. He thought he'd planned it so beautifully. Even if Neji could have dodged the clone's attack, he wouldn't have been able to block Naruto's. And yet he had struck out with perfect precision, as if he had known exactly where Naruto had been. It was impossible, not unless he had eyes in the back of his head…

Neji straightened. There was certainly something different about his eyes. Veins traced boldly around them, sharpening the pupils.

"That's a cool jutsu." Naruto got to his feet, catching his breath. "Why didn't you use it before?"

"For someone like you, I didn't think I would need it."

He was aware that he was being insulted. "Well, I made you, didn't I? Now let's get this over with. No holding back."

His opponent was not keen. "This fight is over."

"Nani?"

"You don't have the scroll."

Naruto faltered. "How did you…?"

"The girl has it," Neji said.

He knew. And before Naruto could understand how he had found out, Neji was already heading back to the other fight. Sakura was in trouble. Naruto skidded into his path, arms outstretched. "Stop right there," he growled. "You can't just walk away from our fight like that."

Neji's eyes, returned to normal now, barely even acknowledged him. "We both have a Heaven scroll. This is meaningless." His voice was firm, and Naruto didn't need to doubt the authenticity of his words.

His team had gotten off lightly. Naruto quickly ran his eyes over his teammates, noticing minor injuries. His fist clenched. They had agreed not to involve themselves if it was not necessary. Neji's withdrawal was benefitting them. But now Naruto felt undermined. The Hyuuga boy had looked down on him like a worthless pebble.

It was true that Neji had experience on his side, but Naruto had superior stamina. He would eventually be able to whittle down his opponent's defences. However, considering that they had days to go and chakra deprivation would complicate their progress, Naruto held himself in check. His eyes were reproachful as Neji broke up the fight between their teammates. He wanted to fight Neji and show him that he was more. But now wasn't the time.

Tenten looked a little winded, though Naruto's friends looked weary as well. She sighed in exasperation when Neji spoke to her. "You don't think you could have checked that earlier, Neji? You could have saved me the trouble."

"It doesn't matter now." Naruto thought Neji was looking at him, but with those eyes he couldn't be sure.

"Lee is late."

"We'll find him now. Let's go, Tenten."

Kiba stepped forward as the two turned away. "Wait a minute! You're just going to walk away like that? You picked a fight with us and now you're just going to leave?" He was incredulous.

"It was only coincidence that we ran into each other," Tenten said, looking over her shoulder. "My team had arranged to meet here after half an hour. I came back a little earlier and saw you." She shrugged. "It was either ambush you or get discovered and ambushed."

Sakura caught Kiba's arm. "She's right, Kiba. Let's just let them leave."

Then and there, as he watched them walk away, Naruto decided that he definitely did not like Hyuuga Neji.

* * *

No one questioned Sakura's choice of equipment when she produced a small first aid kit from one of her pockets. They had gotten away with a small collection of scrapes and bruises, so the roll of bandages was thankfully unneeded. Naruto helped to rub ointment on Kiba's wounds while Sakura tended to Akamaru. The small dog was mostly uninjured, having been ordered by Kiba to sit out after he had seen that their jutsu was ineffective against Tenten's.

Sakura gently applied a plaster to Akamaru's snout, smiling. "Now you look less like a huggable plush toy," she declared, lifting him from her lap.

"Oi, he's a ferocious nin-dog," Kiba corrected. "Aren't you, boy?" He directed this to Akamaru.

Akamaru barked and rose proudly, but when Sakura tickled him under the chin what sounded suspiciously like purring rumbled from the puppy.

"I'm going to ignore that," his master said pointedly. He glanced at Naruto. "What about you? Hurt anywhere?"

Naruto blinked. "Me?" He had been a little sore previously but now he had practically forgotten his pains. His tenant had likely seen to it. "I'm alright. Useful vest, this thing."

"You know, it's pretty strange. I can't remember the last time you needed medical attention," Kiba remarked.

"Hey, don't go around jinxing it."

By the time they had treated their injuries, another issue arose. Food. Naruto had been trying to ignore his hunger for a while now. There was no room for argument – they could not continue on empty stomachs.

In fear of their battles – especially Naruto's giant fireball – attracting other teams, they had moved on, keeping by the river. The crystalline serpent was still sprawled beside them. Food usually came in the form of a steaming bowl of ramen, but when Naruto saw fish swimming by in the water, he decided he didn't mind a seafood meal.

Kiba and even Sakura were not keen on lighting a fire; in the darkness it would draw attention to them like moths. But they eventually agreed with Naruto's suggestion. "Being too careful isn't always a good thing," Kiba said slowly, grinning.

Akamaru was in the mood to jump into the water to startle fish downstream. Naruto and Kiba were waiting further down, targeting their prey. The duty of lighting a campfire had fallen on Sakura. It was logical; she had the best chakra control and was least likely to cause an unwelcome bushfire.

The boys were mucking around. They were splashing around and scaring away the fish. Sakura knew that she should be berating them for being silly but the light-hearted atmosphere was… relaxing. It almost felt like they were on a simple mission.

The tranquillity vanished when Akamaru suddenly sprang back onto dry ground and barked. Kiba groaned. "You're kidding me! How many more people are we going to run into in one day?"

A green blur streaked down from the trees high above them, landing lightly on the other side of the river. As she watched the figure look around, Sakura recognised him as Rock Lee.

Naruto had also come to the same realisation. "Hey! Lee!" he called. He was much more gracious toward the green-clad boy than he was toward Neji. The thought of Lee as an enemy hadn't even occurred to him until he heard Kiba sigh. On that thought, Naruto drew his wave in tight, but Lee was already leaping across the expanse of water that separated them.

"We meet again, Naruto-kun," Lee beamed. He turned to greet the blonde's teammates. Naruto noticed that his smile for Sakura was considerably brighter than his for Kiba's – but if the Inuzuka was disgruntled he didn't show it.

"Isn't it past your bedtime, Lee?" Naruto grinned.

The tall boy just smiled. "How are you doing in the exam? Have you found your scrolls?" Lee caught himself quickly when he saw Team Eight share wary glances. "I apologise. It is not my business, is it?"

"It's fine." It was Sakura who covered for them. "We haven't found our second scroll yet, no."

Lee nodded. They had not disclosed the nature of their scroll and he didn't seem to have intention to take it from them. The matter was left at that.

"Where did you come from anyway?" Kiba asked. He looked up from spearing the few fish they had caught onto sticks.

At this, Lee's eyes clouded over. He looked perturbed. "My team split up for individual investigation," he explained. "I came across… something that disturbed me."

"A ghost?" Naruto guessed.

His humour barely appealed to Lee. "Your classmate, Uchiha Sasuke's team," he said.

Sakura frowned. "Can you tell us what you saw, Lee-san?"

It didn't seem Lee could say no to Sakura. They invited him to sit with them. "When I arrived, Sasuke-kun's team was already in battle with another team. From Sound, I believe," Lee began. The flames cast an eerie glow on his face. "Sasuke had been unconscious. His teammates were fighting very hard but were being overwhelmed."

"Wait." Naruto looked at Lee. "What was wrong with Sasuke? Did he get knocked out early?"

"I do not know. It looked like his teammates had been taking care of him. I do not think that he was knocked out."

"No, me neither," Naruto agreed. "Anyway, what happened?"

"As I thought about intervening, Sasuke woke up," Lee said simply.

They waited.

"But he was… different."

"Different? How?" Kiba questioned. He absently flipped the fish over before they burned, but his attention was focused on Lee.

The other boy did not reply immediately.

"Lee?" Sakura prompted. "How was Sasuke?" She sounded concerned, but she had reason to be.

"He was giving off a very vile chakra." Somehow, although they had not been present, Lee's use of 'vile' seemed eerily fitting. "His speed and power was greatly increased. Where his teammates had been struggling, he defeated the Sound ninja in minutes." Lee paused. "I do not know Uchiha Sasuke very well, but I do know that he should not have that power."

The campsite was wreathed in silence as each person mulled over the news Lee had brought. Kiba had never particularly liked his Uchiha classmate; he attracted fangirls like no other boy at the Academy, and he was too detached. But that was not to say that he was beyond caring. Sasuke had obviously undergone an unknown change. However, as Kiba tried to sympathise, he was also grateful that his team had not been affected. Lee's description sounded horrific.

His glance sidled over to Sakura and Naruto. They were more involved with Sasuke than he was. Kiba wondered what they were thinking.

"We ran into your team," he said to Lee. "We fought – but don't worry, no one got killed." He grinned.

"That reminds me!" Lee shot to his feet so quickly that Naruto rose as well, his hand halfway to his weapons pouch. "I am late to meet my team. I have to go!"

"Yeah, you're late alright," Naruto said. "They said they were going to look for you but that was… almost an hour ago, I think."

"Tenten is going to be furious with me," Lee moaned. "I hope to see you at the tower, Naruto-kun. Goodbye!"

"See you later… wait. Lee!" Their ally had taken off at such a speed that Naruto sighed, thinking he had missed him.

But then a loud voice responded from… somewhere. "Naruto-kun?"

A grin lit up Naruto's face. "You'd better pass this exam, okay? I want to fight you!" He shouted the words to the air.

"Hai! If I fail, I shall run five hundred laps around Konoha… on my hands!" The rustle of leaves told Team Eight that Lee had left.

Naruto chuckled. He found that he liked the absurd boy. Rock Lee was weird incarnate, with his 'unique' fashion sense and stiff vocabulary. But he was decent. Better than Neji, anyway.

"This forest is dangerous," Sakura murmured from where she sat on the ground.

Naruto squatted down in front of her. "Cheer up, Sakura. It's not fun unless it's hard, right?"

Her finger poked him in the forehead protector, sending his rear into the dirt. "Out of my face, weirdo," she teased.

"You're so mean, Sakura-chan!" Naruto dusted his pants off. "Bit of a bumpy start today, huh? Let's kick butt tomorrow, guys!"

"You know what, Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"What?"

"Let's eat first."

Team Eight had marched into the Chuunin Exam without the Forest of Death in their calculations. This was new to them. It was… exhilarating. And Day One had gone up in fireworks.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I'm late again. Really late. Sorry about that. Also, my spellcheck died on me during this chapter, so if there are more mistakes than usual, that's the reason - that, and I'm horrible with editing. I don't have the patience for it. I did try to comb through the chapter for mistakes and picked up a few, but if you see any I would appreciate it if you pointed it out to me.

No, Naruto's team didn't even run into Sasuke's in my version. No confrontation with Orochimaru or the Sound team. Why? I considered including them, but after some thought I came to the conclusion that it didn't really affect things if I cut them out. It would make a small difference later on (Orochimaru doesn't know about Naruto's demon, and Team Eight don't know about the Cursed Seal) but since I had already written the parts with Gaara and Neji, I didn't want to go overboard by squeezing too much in. I did try to make up for it with Gaara, but that was mostly canon stuff, I think.

Neji didn't use the Byakugan right from the start because he didn't think Naruto would push him that far. If he used Byakugan first he would have seen that their scroll was the same and there wouldn't have been a fight. I tried not to make it seem like Team Eight was much weaker; they did go through all that training after all.

Oh yes, Kyuubi. Naruto was close to telling his friends in this chapter. It might have worked, but it would have been messy to stage it right in the middle of the second exam. Don't worry, he will tell them. Not soon, but not years later. A few chapters - but don't wait for it. I'm notorious for stretching things out.

Just to finish off, I think my writing style has gradually changed. It's starting to get uncomfortable for me to write Precious People, and I'm afraid I'm not writing it as well as I would like. It feels a little rushed and chopped up in pieces. I'll see what I can do about it, but if the next chapter feels a little different, please bear with me.


	15. Survival of the Fittest

**Chapter 15 – Survival of the Fittest**

The rats were stirring agitatedly.

The female one with the absurdly coloured hair was the first to drop to the ground with a defeated groan. "I give up – we've been walking for hours!"

Oboro held back a chuckle. Hours indeed. He cast a quick glance at his teammates; Mubi's visible eye was beginning to gleam with his usual restlessness. It was arguable how he had managed to sit tight while the rats had stumbled around in circles below them. Mubi was too impatient, but Oboro was close to sharing his sentiment. It was about time to strike.

The loud one – or rather, the loud one with the white dog trotting by his side, since his blonde-haired teammate was equally outspoken – bent over with his hands on his knees and looked wearily at the knotted tree that concealed the Rain genins. He couldn't see them, of course. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "It's the same tree!" Oboro had seen the girl perform some sort of jutsu on the tree earlier, most likely to mark it. Evidently, it still remained; pity it was no use.

"We're lost, aren't we?" the blonde boy asked. He stood with his arms crossed and brow furrowed. "I _told_ you we should have crossed the river, Kiba. Look what your laziness got us into!"

"Zip it," his teammate growled. "You think I don't know what you were thinking? You just wanted to ride that giant caterpillar, didn't you?"

"Nuh uh!"

"Liar!"

"Who are you calling a liar, puppy-breath?"

Although he was pleased to see that his team's tactic had not only sapped the energy out of their foes but had also sown discord amongst the members, Oboro wished they would just stop. Their bickering was giving him quite a headache, and he was almost grateful when the girl pulled them apart with a severe smack to their heads. The two quietened immediately and amusingly seemed to cower together as their teammate told them off.

"Alright, alright," the taller one surrendered. "So we're lost. We'll figure something out, maybe backtrack and find our way out." He hopped a little where he stood. "But first, me and Akamaru have to take a leak. Don't look!" He and the dog set off briskly and disappeared behind a clump of bushes.

"Ne, don't worry, Sakura-chan," the remaining boy said cheerfully to his red-faced teammate. "I'll sing you a song so you won't hear them, yeah? Konohamaru and his little friends made up a song. It's really funny, see..."

This was perfect. The large one, questionably the strongest, had even gotten rid of himself. How lucky. Oboro quietly turned to his teammates, ignoring Mubi's fidgeting. "I'll take the one with the dog," he murmured through his mask, jerking his head toward the source of the splashing sounds. "You two handle the others, got that?" He received affirmative nods, and the air around Kagari suddenly seemed to waver with moisture. Perhaps Mubi was not the only overeager one. "Alright, on my mark... mark!"

His teammates scattered – almost immediately the sounds of metal against metal cracked into the air. They were too hasty and upfront, his teammates. Quietly palming a kunai, Oboro swiftly dropped down from the branch and advanced on his target, hugging the shadows. The boy even had his back to him, oblivious of his friends' plight; Mubi had weaved another genjutsu over the first. This was child's play.

The dog tipped its nose in the air at the last moment, a reproachful growl beginning to rumble at the back of its throat – but Oboro had already darted forward and plunged his kunai into the boy's unprotected back, severing his spinal cord. The Leaf genin didn't even have time to cry out. His back arched and a dimming eye valiantly sought out the assaulter, but before they could make contact with Oboro's, the genin fell forward and lay still, face-first in the dirt.

A sharp kick sent the mournful dog spiralling into the undergrowth, and Oboro crouched down to search through his fallen opponent's pockets for a scroll. That had been much too easy. The rumours had been true; Konoha shinobi were weak. Their genins were babies.

This one didn't appear to have the scroll. Oboro was almost disappointed as he straightened. He had been hoping to get this over with quickly so they could use the remainder of the exam period to eliminate more teams. Regardless, this had saved them a lot of time – the exam wasn't due to end until another two more days. They had run into another team earlier than expected, but his team had managed to take it in stride and ensnare their opponents in a genjutsu, just as they had planned. Luck was on their side.

A rustling noise overhead stopped Oboro as he was about to join his teammates and, if necessary, aid them. He looked up in time to see a white blur streak over his head, but his hand was only halfway to his weapons pouch when a hot liquid sprayed into his eyes, stinging them with unbelievable pain. Oboro yelled and stumbled in mid-step, scrabbling at his face. Whatever the harmful substance was, it reeked as much as it stung.

Had Oboro's eyes been open, he would have seen the motionless form of the crumpled genin behind him dissolve in smoke. But as it was, he saw none of it. His eyes watered uselessly when he tried to open them and the crisp air sent tiny needles pricking his sensitive pupils.

A hard fist drove into his stomach, catching him unawares. Oboro staggered back several steps before he managed to dig his heels into the soil and strengthen his stance. Cursing, he hurriedly formed seals for water clones to engage his opponent, and the snarls of "Gatsuuga!" followed by the sloshing of water warned him that if he didn't deal with his handicap fast, he would suffer a humiliating defeat.

Oboro conjured another clone and thrust his head into its torso. It exploded in a spray of water and he cupped the liquid to his face, rubbing it into his sore eyes. He hissed with discomfort, the sound rasping through his mask.

Focusing his blurred vision, Oboro tried to make sense of the grey figures tearing viciously into his clone squadron, and could only land on one conclusion: the rats were fighting back.

* * *

Naruto cackled impishly when a screech of outrage and agony erupted from behind the bushes. Oh yes, messing with Team Eight had its consequences.

The Rain-nin facing him had both eyes bound by bandages, but it was clear that he knew he had been fooled. His head turned this way and that, trying to fit the half-dozen clones surrounding him in his vision. "When did you find out?" he hissed.

The blonde boy waved a hand dismissively. "Ages ago. Let me tell you something, pal – our sensei is a genjutsu mistress. Sakura over there saw right through you clowns."

As if she had heard him, the air was split with a vociferous clang as Sakura clashed with the second Rain genin. Naruto resisted the urge to spring to her side and slice through the water clone that was sneaking up behind his teammate. He realised, as Sakura switched places with a log and came charging out of the undergrowth, that trusting your comrades to take care of themselves was as vital in teamwork as the ability to interpret your partner's next move before it was executed.

"Those clones were yours," his opponent accused, demanding his attention once more.

Naruto just grinned. He had to congratulate himself; substituting the real members of Team Eight with transformed shadow clones had been a grand idea. He wondered if Kurenai-sensei would be impressed.

His opponent's arm blurred in motion and in an instant shuriken were slicing through the air. The sharp-edged blades immediately took out the two shadow clones stationed closest to him, and Naruto dashed forward with a kunai in his hand.

His remaining clones had closed in on the Rain ninja and grabbed a limb each, immobilising him despite his efforts to break free. Naruto's kunai sank into the guy's left shoulder but instead of grating against bone, blue eyes widened as the figure lost shape and collapsed to the ground in a splash of water. Unable to control his momentum, Naruto barrelled into one of his own clones, destroying it.

"Kuso -!" Before he had even regained his footing, Naruto spun and tossed his kunai to his right, where he had sensed a flickering chakra presence. The weapon thudded into the tree's thick hide, directly where the Rain genin's head had been a breath ago.

His remaining two shadow clones hung back warily, circling their opponent, but before they could act something came plummeting down from the canopy. Naruto winced as Sakura drove her weighted forearm into the back of the unsuspecting genin's head. He dropped like a stone.

She flashed him a grin. "How was that?"

"Beautiful. Absolutely – hey...!"

A thick tendril of water shot up from the puddle left behind by the defeated water clone and snatched at Sakura's ankle as she landed. Pain flickered through her features, half a cry rising from her throat, and Naruto knew that it had caught her at a bad angle. Wasting no time, she began slashing earnestly at the binds with a kunai, to no avail.

Naruto, suddenly _very_ grateful for the attentiveness Kurenai had drilled into him, threw shuriken at the arm that had reached out of the earth near Sakura's feet, knocking the kunai out of its grasp. One of his clones dived forward before it could sink back into hiding, forcefully pulling the arm. Sakura turned her head to look in bewilderment at the comical sight of two Narutos grunting and heaving at a detached arm.

It wasn't detached for long, as a struggling shinobi's head began to emerge from the soil. The unpleasant crack of a dislocated shoulder brought a grimace to her face, and the water latching onto her abruptly broke away, dripping uselessly to the ground.

"Stop it!" the Rain-nin was pleading, his breath hitching. Naruto obliged, dismissing his clones. He crouched next to the partially surfaced shinobi and flicked his hitai-ate. The guy didn't look like he was in the condition to retaliate.

"I hope you don't have the scroll..." Naruto drew back his arm and landed a punch squarely on the young man's face; blood sprayed from his nose as the head fell back. "Because I really don't feel like dragging you out of there," he finished.

Sakura stopped rubbing her ankle and glanced at the unconscious Rain genin. "Do you remember how we used to play the game Stuck in the Mud at the Academy?"

"Yeah. This guy would take first place." They both laughed.

"Do you think Kiba is alright?" Sakura asked after a short pause, turning her head toward the running sounds of a battle that was hidden from their sight.

"He'll be fine. I'd say these guys aren't that good with taijutsu. Kiba will make mincemeat out of them." The Inuzuka would feel offended if they didn't believe that he was capable of bringing down a single opponent. Naruto knew his friend well. "Yeah, he'll be fine," he said again, this time with more confidence.

Sakura nodded and absently began to rub her ankle again. When she caught him looking on with concern, she gave him a faint smile. "The weights took most of the impact, but I still think I sprained it a little."

"Maybe you should take them off then. The weights, I mean." Sakura let him roll up her trouser leg and unclasp the laden strap. Naruto almost dropped it in surprise; he hadn't realised that their weights were _that_ heavy. "I bet we'll be super fast if we take these things off," he remarked, gingerly placing them on the ground.

"It feels bare without it," Sakura said.

"Naked?" Naruto was quick to block the swipe at his head and grinned jubilantly at his teammate's exasperation. He couldn't remember the last time she had hit him and meant it but he knew exactly what set her off. "You're not going to get me that easily, Sakura." He stuck his tongue out.

"I'm going to get you for that," she warned, with no real threat in her tone.

"Aww, you're not that mean, are you, Sakura-chan...?" Although he knew they were only playing around, Sakura's edged grin still made him swallow nervously. "Okay, maybe you are." But by then Sakura was not listening to him. Her gaze travelled over Naruto's shoulder. Frowning, he turned to see what she was looking at.

He had timed it perfectly, if he did say so himself. Kiba failed to hold back his laughter when the scroll smacked into Naruto's face, startling him out of his crouch. The blonde boy managed something that sounded like "Dubbo" before he landed rear-first in the dirt.

"_Score!"_ Akamaru barked enthusiastically.

Naruto rubbed his forehead, frowning. "What was that for?" he demanded. When Kiba, doubled over with laughter, failed to produce a coherent response Naruto turned to Sakura with a pout on his features. "Kiba's being an ass again... Sakura? Oi..." He waved a hand in front of her face, cocking his head at her wide eyes.

He watched Sakura slowly reach into her pouch and pull out their Heaven scroll. They both stared at it. Then she began to laugh – quietly and awed to begin with, then quickly rising to join Kiba's. "Naruto," Sakura said between bursts of disbelieving mirth. She pointed at the scroll in his lap. "Look. Earth scroll. It's an Earth scroll."

For a moment, Naruto's expression was a jigsaw of various levels of confusion. He looked first at Kiba, saw the stifled celebration in his movements. Looked at Sakura and met her smiling eyes. Looked at the scroll in her hand and picked up the one Kiba had thrown at him.

"Hey guys," he said slowly, grin widening. "I think we have ourselves a set."

"Just maybe, though," Kiba agreed.

"Yeah. Just maybe..."

Both boys turned to Sakura. "Your turn."

She met their gazes steadily. "Just maybe, you two are completely nuts." Then she smiled.

That was it. Naruto sprang to his feet and pounced on Kiba, latching onto his friend's back with an exultant whoop. Kiba tried unsuccessfully to dislodge him – "Get off me, twerp!" – and the two of them eventually unbalanced each other, toppling to the ground.

As he lay flat on his back, Naruto tried to understand the overwhelming joy coursing through his body. It was like... oh, having miso soup running through his veins or something. They had both their scrolls, which was the bare minimum required to pass the second exam. His certainty that they would be able to find a corresponding scroll had wavered slightly at times, but he had not once deemed that it was impossible. This disbelieving joy that he and his friends exuded – did it mean that they thought they would fail, and that this acquisition was Kami's miracle?

No, that wasn't what it was. Naruto knew, as his hand clenched tightly around the Earth scroll – _their_ Earth scroll – that this was victory at its purest. They were almost at the end. All that remained was to make their way to the Tower. If all went well and they were able to evade all ambush attempts, they would pass this exam. It would mean the end of sleeping on hard ground, stiff hours of watch and the constant concern of being attacked. Considering their sparse but significant encounters, the past few days had been hell.

But Naruto could not deny that he had learned from this experience. This was what it was like to be a shinobi. He and his team were new to this, unlike Neji and Tenten – even Lee – who had already grasped that lives were forever put on the line. Meeting Gaara again, understanding his disposition, had brought that into closer perspective. That was what Naruto had gained from his exam; he wouldn't be able to forget that in a hurry.

Oh, and one other thing – his team rocked.

* * *

Kami had already gone over the sky with a dark brush by the time Iruka was summoned to greet another successful team. The voices that preceded the sight of the genins were enough to bring a relieved smile to his face. They had pulled through.

"Naruto, let me down already..."

"I'm trying to be a gentleman. And stop pulling my hair, Sakura. I don't plan to live my life bald!

"Baka, it'll grow back! And I can walk perfectly fine-"

"Both of you, shut up – this scent is familiar..."

That was all the cue Iruka needed. A brief flare of chakra quickly dissipated the lingering smoke from the summoning jutsu, revealing three battered-looking genins. There they were; Kiba and Akamaru, the small puppy riding on his owner's head just like he always used to at the Academy; Sakura, staring with her hands grasping locks of blonde hair – and Naruto. Iruka smiled.

"Hey."

The single syllable broke the spell. "Iruka-sensei?" As expected, Naruto's voice rose above his friends'. It seemed they had been expecting him to be an adversary. _Since when did they become so cautious?_ Iruka wondered absently.

The chuunin wryly nursed his ear, saying nothing. He took a minute to revel in his former students' presence.

Not taking her eyes off her old Academy teacher, Sakura tapped Naruto's shoulder and he wordlessly knelt down so she could climb off his back – Iruka found himself looking anxiously for a broken leg or bloody limb, but the pink-haired girl appeared to have no problems standing on her own. Then his eyes travelled to Naruto's face, eventually making eye contact with sparkling blue. He saw confusion, nostalgia and a tinge of hope in the orbs.

Without looking away, Iruka said, "Your team has passed the second exam... congratulations."

One second Naruto was gaping at him with slack jaws – the next, Iruka found himself tackled to the ground. He barely had enough time to brace his fall, let alone sidestep, and it took him several seconds to realise that the weight on his torso was an overenthusiastic Naruto squeezing the air out of him. "Yatta! We did it, we did it, we did it!"

"N-Naruto..."

"We did it, we did it – would you believe it, Iruka-sensei? _We did it!" _Naruto's bright beam filled up Iruka's vision. The boy positively _glowed_.

Relenting, Iruka reached up to ruffle Naruto's hair and grinned. "Yes, Naruto – you did it." _And I'm proud of you and your team. You really aren't a kid anymore, Naruto._ This was what he had needed to see to assure him that he had not made the wrong decision in standing down when Yuuhi Kurenai had nominated her team to participate in the Chuunin Exam. Kurenai had seen what Iruka couldn't until now.

"Oi, oi, you're killing him, Naruto," Kiba said loudly, shaking his head. Naruto made a face at him, but removed himself from Iruka's chest. One hand rubbing his neck sheepishly, he extended it other to the man. After blinking at it for a second, Iruka grasped it and let Naruto haul him to his feet, which the genin managed surprisingly easily.

"Don't mind the party pooper, Sensei," Naruto said in an equally boisterous voice, causing his Inuzuka teammate to twitch.

"I heard that!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Iruka saw Sakura groan wearily behind her hand. "They're always like this, aren't they?" he asked her, and she gave him a helpless nod. Naruto, in another display of boundless energy, instigated a chase, rapidly scrabbling away, laughing, as Kiba growled and launched himself after him.

"It's easier just to let them be, Iruka-sensei," Sakura advised. Glancing at her, Iruka noticed the amused smile on her face. He was reminded of the Sakura who had scowled at the commotion Naruto commonly caused at the Academy. The girl beside him seemed to enjoy her teammates' antics. Just as he had suspected, Naruto was not the only one who had undergone changes.

"Damn it, Naruto! I'm tired!"

"Then why are you still chasing me, huh?"

"How am I supposed to know? Why do you love ramen so much?"

Ramen – that sparked Iruka's memories of treating Naruto to meals at Ichiraku. It had seemed like a necessity then, to look out for the forlorn boy who'd had no one else. He wasn't alone anymore now.

Sakura lowered herself to the floor and leaned against a pillar. "Mou, stop running around. Iruka-sensei hasn't even finished talking yet," she called to the boys. The only one who paid attention to her was Akamaru, who trotted over and nestled at her feet.

Iruka shrugged to himself, smiling. He had been wrong that day he had visited Naruto; he had claimed that he had let go of his students and completely relinquished his concerns for them, but deep down he had remained anxious and aware of their actions, particularly Naruto's. After all, they were still rookie genins and the Chuunin Exam was too rough for them. Yet he had received news that Team Ten had completed the exam a few hours ago, and if Iruka knew his students, he doubted Sasuke's team would fail.

It really was time to let go.

"Sakura, could you do something for me?" Iruka asked softly.

She looked away from her friends and regarded him curiously. "Like what?"

"When you see your sensei, tell her I said 'thank you'."

_You've come a long way, Naruto._

* * *

"So... what now?" asked Naruto after Iruka had left them. He was still under the impression that his old mentor had looked melancholic, but he settled to figure that out later. His team was relatively stranded in the hall; they hadn't moved from the spots they had taken when Iruka had explained the meaning of Heaven and Earth to them. And all three of them had conveniently forgotten to ask their Academy teacher what they were supposed to do at this stage.

Kiba scratched his head. "Guess we should check out the higher levels. There should be rooms for the people who finish early."

Sakura had made her way over to the staircase and was peering up at it. "Do you think Sensei is here?" She asked the same question Naruto had been wondering. He wanted to talk to Kurenai about the events that had occurred in the past few days. Maybe she was waiting for them... he started to run toward Sakura and the stairs.

It was her eyes that alerted him. Her yell and the sudden motion of her hand snapping to the side – a signal for him to don't-hesitate-just-dodge – also caught his attention, but it was predominantly the warning and fear flashing through Sakura's eyes that sent Naruto hurtling to the ground, rolled into a ball to break his fall.

A plume of sand crashed down on the space Naruto had been occupying only seconds ago. His hands automatically came up to shield his face from the flying debris – a mistake.

In the heartbeat that he was distracted the sand had coalesced into a rough claw and was racing toward him, shedding grit in its wake. The room was rocked with waves of killer intent and Naruto wasted another second widening his eyes at the revelation that someone wanted to kill _him_. There was no time to evade, no time to retaliate.

His teammates' cries rent the air. "NARUTO!"

His eyes were squeezed shut, his arms pushed defensively in front of him, as if he was a goalkeeper afraid of the ball. Sweat coated him in a thin film.

He felt the air around him stir as the sand streak past him, and pictured the thick limb wrapping around his frame. Why couldn't he _move_, damn it!

A full minute passed before it occurred to him that the terrible grinding sound couldn't _possibly_ be his bones being crushed. Naruto opened his eyes and rapidly blinked his surroundings into focus. The first thing he saw was a long mane of dark hair and, instinctively, he knew that everything would be alright.

"What is going on here?" the voice of his sensei demanded sharply. Naruto was suddenly aware that he was sandwiched between his friends. His nerves jolted as Kiba's hand coincidentally gripped his funny bone. He hissed but was ignored

Naruto looked around Kurenai's figure while he fought to regulate his breathing. Across the room Gaara stared bluntly at Kurenai, his eyes betraying a hint of surprise. His sand slowly retracted from the pillar several feet to Team Eight's right, slithering back into his gourd. Huge chunks of the concrete had broken away from the support, a pile of dust crowding around the base. It could have been _him_ if Kurenai had not interfered. Naruto shuddered.

"Who are you?" Although his question was obviously directed toward Kurenai, his intimidating eyes were riveted on Naruto.

"I am their jounin instructor." There was a pause, during which Kurenai narrowed her eyes. "You are the Kazekage's son, isn't that right?" She wordlessly reached out and laid her hand on Kiba's chest as he growled under his breath. "Settle," she murmured. "I'll handle this."

Gaara completely disregarded her. "I have something to finish with Uzumaki Naruto." His gaze moved up to look upon the blonde genin's face. "You said you would fight me if I hurt your team... should I kill them?"

This time it was Naruto's turn to be held back. "Naruto," Kurenai said warningly. She gave him a hard look when he opened his mouth. "Go upstairs, you three. Fifth floor, second room on the left. I will join you later."

"Sensei-" both Naruto and Kiba started.

"That was an order." The boys hesitated. They had never outright disobeyed an order from their sensei before. Kurenai bit back an exasperated sigh. "Sakura." Unlike Naruto and Kiba, Sakura obeyed immediately.

"Come on." She grabbed their hands. Akamaru herded them together by running circles around their legs, his fur standing on end. Still, neither boy moved. Sakura saw that they were not even looking at her, and kicked them both in the shins.

"Ow-!"

"Idiots!" she whispered feverishly at them. "Sensei is a _jounin_." Her point struck home. Shaking her head, she pulled them toward the stairs. Naruto and Kiba only cooperated when Kurenai and Gaara were broken from their view by the next landing. They were met by a wide hallway with doors on both sides. Another set of stairs were visible on the other end. Sakura glanced at her teammates. "Should I continue dragging you or can you walk by yourself?"

Both mumbled confirmation on the second option. They were not silenced, though. "What is with that guy?" Kiba scowled. He looked over at Naruto. "You okay?"

"Ah? Uh – yeah..." Gaara's casual threat to kill his friends still rang in Naruto's head, and he was still shaken by his inability to move when he had sensed the murderous intent. His past – admittedly few – experiences with similar threats had not beaten him down like this before.

Sakura led her team up the next flight of stairs, biting her lip. Just what did Gaara want? And why Naruto? The knucklehead was loud and tactless and at times pretty annoying, but he had gotten much better since the start and there was no reason why he would unexpectedly become a target. Whatever it was, she hoped Kurenai would be able to deal with it. Naruto could have gotten seriously hurt back there, and the young kunoichi realised just how terrified she was by the prospect.

Kiba brought up the rear and his not-so-quiet voice following them as they ascended. "Just came out of nowhere – didn't even smell the creep. His teammates weren't with him. What are they up to?"

"They're scared of him, Kiba; I don't think they like his company very much." Sakura and Kiba stopped to look curiously at Naruto. They had reached the fifth floor.

"Why, though?" Sakura wondered aloud. "They're his siblings."

Naruto belatedly realised that the topic was pulling a little too close to home. "Seriously? Look at that guy – tell me you're not scared of him."

"He doesn't look that bad..."

"Aww, don't go falling for him, Sakura-chan! I'm much better looking, ne?" Naruto raised his biceps, laughing. Kiba snorted and Sakura's frown eased up as she looked away, cheeks dusted with a faint blush. Naruto smiled. "So which room did Kurenai-sensei tell us to go to? The second on the... right?"

"Mm, yeah," Kiba nodded. Akamaru whined and tugged on his trouser leg. "Ehh? Left? You sure, boy?"

Naruto stood in the middle of the hallway, perplexed. "So which one is it? Left or right?" He turned around to look at Sakura, confident that she would know. Looking amused, she pointed to the left. He grinned. "Aha! See, it was the right!" He didn't notice Sakura smacking her forehead with her hand or her attempt to explain ("Baka, you're facing... oh, never mind."). He was too busy staring at the door, which had opened by itself when he had reached for the handle.

"Geez, Naruto, still as loud as ever."

"Eh? Shikamaru?"

Looking at each other, Sakura and Kiba walked over to Naruto. Indeed, their classmate was standing by the door, bleary-eyed as if he had only just woken up. Kiba's eyes widened. "Hey, _you_ made it? Earlier than us?" His comment prompted Sakura to elbow him threateningly, but it was already too late to take back what he had said.

Naruto was oblivious to the minor scuffle happening behind him as Sakura tried unsuccessfully to gag Kiba. He was beaming at Shikamaru. "Hey, it's good to see you! That test was horrible, huh? So when'd you guys get back?"

Shikamaru dug a finger into his ear. "Three hours ago? Oh wait, I took a nap. Maybe four, five hours? Are those two okay over there?" He nodded over Naruto's shoulder.

"Oh, they're fine. Kiba's used to it."

Shikamaru's eyes slid between Naruto's grin and Sakura's rather insistent enforcing of Kiba's lacking etiquette. "Uh... huh. God this is troublesome."

Kiba finally managed to free himself, looking ruffled. "We must've gotten the wrong room if you guys are already in here," he said, paying no heed to Sakura's disapproving look.

There was the sound of a chair drawing back from inside the room and a head popped up behind Shikamaru before the latter could reply. "What's taking you so long, Shikamaru? Who... oh. _You_." Naturally, Ino's eyes were immediately drawn to Sakura, who was twitching already. The blonde girl smirked and elbowed Shikamaru out of the way, leaning against the doorframe. "Didn't expect to see you here, Billboard Brow. Been doing well?"

Sakura glared. Why, oh why had she not made the connection between Shikamaru's presence and Ino's? She began to pull Naruto away, scowling. "Definitely the wrong room." Kiba looked like he wanted to say something but knew from experience that stepping between the two girls' long-running rivalry was suicide.

"Hey, wait a minute." Shikamaru's voice called, though Team Eight could not see him past Ino. "You were told to come to this room? Was it..." He stopped and rolled his eyes at himself. "Well, of course it was Kurenai-sensei."

"Kurenai? She was sitting with us until she heard about her team and went downstairs." At the deep voice, Naruto looked over the top of Sakura's head to see the bulky frame of Sarutobi Asuma, Team Ten's mentor, looming over Ino, an unlit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. "I think you've got the right room here, kids. Let's wait for Kurenai inside, shall we?" Naruto noted that he did not ask where their sensei was.

"Nice try, Forehead." Ino closed the door behind them. Sakura just sighed in defeat.

The room was slightly larger than Naruto's bedroom. A round table stood in the centre, Shikamaru was shuffling toward a bed placed to the side of the room, and a two-seater couch was pushed up to another wall. A window displayed the forest that Naruto's team had only just pulled themselves out of.

"Make yourselves at home," Asuma said. The couch sagged under his weight.

Naruto looked to see if there was another door in the room that branched off to some other place. There was none. "Hey, where's Chouji?" He lowered himself into the nearest chair.

"He finished his chips and went off to look for food in the kitchen," Shikamaru answered. "Don't know if he'll find any. I doubt they use this place enough to stock up on food."

"There's a kitchen here?"

"This tower used to be accommodation quarters for ANBU members until, what, twenty years ago?" Asuma made a noncommittal sound of agreement. Shikamaru nodded and sized up the other genin's mystified look. "Didn't know that, did you, Naruto?"

"Hey, I know stuff you don't, too," Naruto defended. Though he had to admit that there wasn't much he could show off when it came to Shikamaru. The Nara heir had the knack of concealing his knowledge. _He's probably as smart as he is lazy,_ Naruto thought, watching his friend yawn.

A torrent of 'Ino-pig' and 'humongous forehead' coupled with several other scathing insults brought the girls back into his attention. He grinned at their banter. It wasn't malicious in any way – it was actually quite cute. Kiba was also watching them from a safe distance and he caught Naruto's eye. They traded a rueful grin.

Then Kiba turned expectantly in the direction of the door, his face lighting up. On the couch, Asuma stopped playing with his lighter. "Welcome back," he greeted Kurenai. She graced him with the barest of smiles.

Naruto rose from his chair. "Kurenai-sensei-"

"Come outside for a moment, Naruto. I want to talk to you." He couldn't help but blanch – those were the exact words Iruka used, along with a false smile and not-so-pleasant tone, every time he discovered his student's latest prank. But Kurenai was not wearing her disapproving face, and Naruto already knew that their conversation would be on anything but swapping gender signs on toilet doors.

He glanced first at Kiba, then at Sakura, and made a show of grinning widely. "Be back in a minute then," he said cheerfully, walking out with his hands behind his head.

Kiba stared pensively at the door that Kurenai had left slightly ajar. He was ashamed to discover that he was slightly disgruntled that the jounin hadn't even said a word of congratulations yet. He told himself that it was no way to think, especially considering the situation. Knowing Kurenai, she would hold a team meeting later; it made sense to talk to Naruto first. He was the one Gaara had set his eyes on. Then they would celebrate. In the same air of respect that held Kiba from disobeying an order from the woman, Kurenai never undermined her students' efforts.

His train of thought was dispersed when Akamaru scampered up his leg and into his jacket, huddling against his chest. Kiba looked down in surprise before he remembered how frightened the puppy had been the last time they had run into Gaara. Akamaru had done well to keep his head this time. Brown eyes softened and Kiba stroked Akamaru's head. "It's okay, boy," he said quietly.

On the other side of the table, Ino impatiently snapped her fingers in front of Sakura's face, startling her old friend. "What is up with you today?" she demanded, shaking her head. "Stop spacing out on me, woman."

"It's only happened once!" But almost as soon as she had protested, Sakura's mind wandered again. What had Kurenai and Gaara been doing downstairs?

Ino made a noise in her throat and Sakura snapped out of it before she could be reprimanded again. She found it strange that, despite their differences, Ino was still insistent on talking with her. They sniped at each other every second sentence, but Sakura could not remember a period where they had given each other the cold shoulder.

They bickered about so many things that Sakura was beginning to see just how silly their arguments were. Hair, clothes, performance in the exam, hair, strength, _hair – _they talked about everything.

Except Sasuke.

To be honest, Sakura was more curious than anything. Roughly eighty percent of her past discussions with Ino had revolved around Sasuke – what else was there to talk about during school hours? Ino had always been particularly... enthusiastic when it came to Sasuke, which was mainly the basis for the disputes between the two girls. It was definitely out of ordinary for them to leave the Uchiha out of this conversation. Sakura had her reasons, but Ino didn't... did she?

She found the opportunity to prod at the topic when Chouji ambled into the room, empty-handed and looking disappointed. Ino briefly dropped their conversation to tell him that he should learn to make better use of his time.

"He's such a glutton," the blue-eyed girl sighed. "He was eating like mad during the exam, too."

Thinking back to the laughter-filled lunch-breaks she shared everyday with her team, Sakura decided not to say anything. She did not doubt that her appetite had somehow swelled to tolerate the wide range of foods the boys seemed to love.

"Talking about the exam," she said, overly casual. "Has Team Seven come back yet?"

Sakura might as well have abandoned tact and stared obnoxiously at her companion; she doubted Ino would have minded. The other girl had gone abruptly quiet, and when Sakura followed the direction of her gaze she saw only the table's scratched surface. Just when she was about to prompt her friend, Ino's eyes seemed to regain the conscious gleam and she shook her head. "No, I already looked around. They're still in the forest."

"Oh. Okay." Needless to say, Sakura was not used to the pensive expression Ino wore. She looked... troubled. "Is something wrong?" She didn't wait for Ino's negative reply and, remembering Rock Lee's words, pressed on. "Is it Sasuke-kun?" If Sakura had been paying attention, she would have noticed Asuma crack an eye open with slight interest.

Ino raised her head and looked into the deep green eyes that were watching her so intently. For the briefest of moments she saw the rounded face of a much younger Sakura, peeking meekly behind long bangs. She chuckled and leaned her elbows onto the table. "Heh... you still know me too well, Forehead."

Once she was done blinking, Sakura smiled. "You don't say."

It took a few minutes for Ino to gather her thoughts; several times she lifted her head, mouth open, only to slump back down with a frown. Just as Sakura found herself on the edge of her patience, Ino finally spoke.

"Have you ever thought that... no matter how much you think you know someone, you can never truly _know_ them?" Ino laughed quietly. "My, that sounds ridiculous. But do you know what I mean, Forehead? When you see them..." Her voice trailed off, her words eaten by silence.

"Ino?"

"It sort of scares me."

Having put the pieces together, Sakura thought she had a vague understanding. Actually, it was fainter than vague. She was only certain of one thing; Ino had seen Sasuke undergo the transformation Lee had spoken of. Sakura had half a mind to demand a recount – she had already started formulating the question in her mind – but then she realised that Ino obviously did not want to talk about it. She'd hate to be insensitive, even to Ino-pig.

So she just remained silent. Looking over, she wondered if Kiba had been listening in; he was suspiciously silent. Shikamaru and Chouji were engaged in their own conversation, and Asuma-sensei appeared to have fallen asleep. Watching the jounin's chest rise and fall with each breath, Sakura found herself rubbing her eyes. Spending days in the Forest of Death under such a tense condition had worn her out. Her feet ached.

Her body must be falling asleep on her. It took a particularly hard nudge from Ino to get her attention. Dishevelled, Sakura absently began to tell her off. Then Ino pushed a cup of tea in front of her. She blinked for a while, and then carefully wrapped her fingers around it. The warmth was heavenly. "Err... thanks, Ino," she said.

But her former friend had already gotten up and was heading for the door. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Sakura supposed that, in the end, Ino still had her pride. It didn't stop her from smiling, though.

* * *

Kurenai could see that her student could barely contain himself as she led him into a room three doors down from Team Ten's. It had to be the natural abundance of impatience that resided within the boy. At least she was assured with the knowledge that it was not her methods that failed to settle him.

Once inside, she casted a simple genjutsu that would ensure that whatever they discussed would not be heard by other ears. Then she looked expectantly at Naruto.

"He knows," he blurted out. "About me." His brow puckered and he subtly gestured to his stomach. "About _it_."

"I thought as much," Kurenai said musingly. Gaara had certainly scattered more than just implications during their surprisingly civil conversation in the entrance hall. She had seen no fear in those eyes, not even in the face of authority. It was easy to see that the Chuunin Exam was nothing to him. The jounin was disturbed by his ulterior motives, which were unknown to this point.

Naruto's revelation only complicated her thoughts. "And he's like me. He's got... something inside him too." His tone was a little bitter, and Kurenai patted his shoulder while she mulled it over.

"I'm not surprised," she said slowly, choosing her words. "I've heard rumours about the Kazekage's youngest son. This confirms it." The Hokage was already informed of this, she was sure. She only speculated what he was doing about it.

What followed was much staring on Naruto's part. "He's the Kazekage's kid?" he said incredulously. "But I thought he'd be..." He stopped himself. An orphan? No, it didn't seem likely now that he thought about it. There was Kankurou and Temari to keep in mind, since they were Gaara's siblings. Come to think of it, he vaguely recalled Kurenai-sensei mentioning something similar earlier. A part of Naruto had recognised that when Gaara had said they were alike, he had directly related himself to the Sand-nin. He really had to stop thinking like that.

Kurenai silently regarded her student and wondered if Naruto saw Gaara as a kin of his, someone who understood how he felt. "Naruto, Gaara saw you as special because of the demon inside you. He wanted to see how you fought and what you were capable of. As a jinchuuriki."

_"You said you would fight me if I hurt your team... should I kill them?"_

Naruto lowered his head, clenching his fists.

"The second exam is technically still running even though you have passed. The rules still apply. In other words, Gaara could fight you if he wished. Even kill you." Naruto looked up at Kurenai when the hand on his shoulder tightened considerably. "However, I warned him that I would intervene if he threatened my students. I'm not sure he will heed my warning, so you must remain aware of your surroundings, Naruto. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Sensei." The thought of Gaara creeping into the room while he was asleep made him shudder.

"Good." Kurenai sat down at the table and began to pour herself some tea. After some thought, Naruto joined her. "Do you have anything else to tell me?"

"Mm, yeah." Naruto unconsciously rocked back and forth, his eyes unfocused. "I... almost told the others about me. Like, what's inside me."

The cup was almost at her lips, but Kurenai placed it back down. "Almost?" she incited.

"Almost. I didn't because we were in the middle of an exam and it'd be pretty stupid to spring something like that on them."

"You aren't honestly telling me that the exam was all you were worried about, are you, Naruto?"

He fidgeted uncomfortable.

Kurenai sighed. "If you don't tell them yourself, they may find out another way. Not through me, since it's not in my right to reveal your secrets," she added at his alarm. "You don't trust Sakura and Kiba?"

"It's not that..."

"Then what is it?"

Naruto knew that he had been cornered. With some self-convincing, he managed to look Kurenai-sensei in the eye and spoke. "I didn't even know about the Kyuubi until a few months ago and since then I haven't told anyone. It feels... normal... for me to keep it a secret. It's such a big thing."

"It doesn't have to be 'big'," Kurenai said lightly. "We have already talked about this. Your teammates are not stupid. It is not unlikely that they will uncover the truth by themselves. I hope you have the mind to tell them before it comes to that."

Naruto hesitated before nodding. He simply did not want something like the Kyuubi to come between him and his friends. Even if they accepted him, it would always be there, marking him out. He didn't know how that would change things.

Kurenai-sensei was speaking again, he realised belatedly. Something about calling Sakura and Kiba over. He gathered that they would be staying in this room for the remainder of the exam. Naruto looked at the space for the first time. It was slightly larger than the previous one, with two bunk beds. _I wouldn't mind flopping onto one of those beds right now..._

"I imagine that Asuma will be moving his team to the opposite room when night falls," Kurenai said dryly. "I don't know what possessed him to herd them into that small room."

"What were you doing with Asuma-sensei anyway?" Naruto asked, feeling a little mischievous now that the main focus had shifted away from him.

"He invited me for company," Kurenai replied, a little too quickly, although she knew it was nothing more than the truth. Her eyes narrowed at her student's grin. "_Naruto_."

But he had already left the room with a playful "oohhhh". Kurenai shook her head and drank her tea, releasing the privacy jutsu with a single handseal. To think that she thought she had tamed Naruto's roguish nature... what had she been thinking?

* * *

Naruto awoke the next morning feeling unnaturally sore. He'd slept like a log, his body refusing to adjust to the soft mattress. At odd intervals during the night he would slip in and out of consciousness, aware of nothing but Kiba's heavy breathing below him. But technically he had rested and he was admittedly feeling more refreshed – even though the dull ache between his shoulder blades was just killing him.

His body didn't seem to particularly appreciate the waking process. It took almost ten minutes of staring blankly at the ceiling to get him moving. Then he climbed down the ladder, wincing with each creak from the aged wood – he didn't even want to imagine when this room had last been in use. Kurenai-sensei had assured him that everything had been cleaned out recently, though, which was the only reason why he had not already scampered off for a shower in fear of fleas.

An involuntary hiss slid out from between his clenched teeth when his bare feet touched the cool tiles. It was freezing! He did a little dance before he thought to put on his sandals. Shockingly, the temperature seemed lower in the tower than out in the forest. Naruto was beginning to think that he knew why it had been left derelict since its original occupants had moved out, and why they had transferred to begin with.

Kurenai-sensei's bed was empty and made; she had clearly left while her students were asleep. On the bunk above hers, Sakura's form was vaguely defined beneath a mound of blankets and Naruto didn't need to look to see that Kiba was still sleeping. He padded softly over to the window, gingerly wiping the mist from the glass. They weren't that high off the ground so he couldn't see much through the trees but he could tell that the sky looked grey. What time was it? Six? Seven? There was no clock.

Several uneventful minutes passed before Naruto got tired of staring at the same unchanging view. He ambled over to the table and took a seat, slumping over on the wooden surface. Talk about anti-climax. They had just returned from running through trees, sleeping in trees and hacking through trees, and now... what, exactly? They still had a day until the exam ended. He wondered if Lee's team would be back by then. He had been flabbergasted when he found out that the older Konoha genins had not arrived yet. _And there's still Sasuke's team, I guess..._ he reminded himself as he yawned widely.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew Sakura was shaking his shoulder. "Muh?" Naruto mumbled. "Whazza time?"

"Around nine," Sakura replied. "Why did you wake so early?"

"Mngh... didn't sleep well." A blanket fell off him when he leaned back to stretch. Puzzled, he picked it off the floor. He looked questioningly at Sakura, but she just shook her head, indicating that she had nothing to do with it, and moved away to wake Kiba.

Then Naruto saw the cups of instant ramen piled on the table before him and he put the pieces together: Kurenai-sensei. Seeing his recently-deprived staple food had little to do with the fond smile on his face.

He joined Sakura in her attempt to wrestle Kiba out of his bed. He lunged in to grab Kiba's flailing leg and grinned at Sakura. "Pull!"

Half an hour of bullying later – Kiba for sticking like glue to his bed, Naruto for wanting to hoard over half of the ramen, Sakura for not knowing where the kitchen was because she was supposed to know everything – Team Eight collapsed at the kitchen counter while they waited for the water to boil.

"This sucks," Naruto said unhappily. "I hate waiting. And I'm hungry."

"I bet Sensei knew you'd eat a lot; that's why she bought so much." Kiba eyed the cups his blonde friend was guardedly hunched over.

Naruto jutted his bottom lip out and wrinkled his nose at Kiba's own meal. "So? You got three, too."

"One's for Akamaru, baka."

"Cut it out," Sakura sighed. It wasn't their fault, she knew. A bad night's sleep was something none of them needed. She felt around in her pouch, coming up with the crumpled bag of sweets that Tanaka Noboru had slipped to her when she had passed by his store on her way to the first exam. The others watched with interest as she tipped out the treats and divided them. "It'll spoil your appetite if you eat it now," she said as she nudged each portion toward their respective recipients.

"You didn't tell us you had this all along," Kiba accused light-heartedly.

Naruto was already unwrapping one of the sweets in spite of Sakura's warning. "I love you this much, Sakura-chan!" he said jovially, spreading his arms as wide as physically possible. Unfortunately, the kitchen was smaller than anyone had anticipated, and Kiba had to grab his wrist before he knocked over the shrieking kettle.

With no place to sit in the kitchen, they took their ramen back to their room. There was little talk while they ate. Neither of them would admit it, but Kiba and Sakura found Naruto's loud slurps strangely settling. There was some sort of rhythm to the motion of his dipping head.

The meal was disrupted when Akamaru suddenly barked and jumped off the table. His human companions stopped, confused. Then the door swung inwards. Akamaru yowled again.

"Anyone miss me?" Mitarashi Anko asked cheekily, smirking at the three genins. "No dango? Sin."

Sakura was the first to relax. She sagged a little. "Don't just unexpectedly walk in like that," she complained.

The special jounin simply cocked an eyebrow.

"Dera jus sub scrayee guys in 'ere, thaza," Naruto said through a mouthful of noodles, without looking up.

"'There are just some scary guys in here', he says," Kiba translated, rolling his eyes. "I think that last bit was 'that's all'... right, Naruto?"

The curiosity evacuated from Anko's features as she made a flicking motion in the air. "Oh, _that_. The kid from Sand?" She nodded to herself. "Kurenai told me about that. Don't worry about it. I doubt he would bother you for the rest of the exam."

They all looked to Naruto. He answered their stares by lifting his cup to his mouth and noisily draining the broth. "Hey!" he protested when Sakura shook her head and wrestled the next cup of ramen out of his hands. She gave him a hard look which subdued him.

Anko chuckled. "I knew I saw something in you, girl. Girls have to control their men."

There was silence for the briefest of moments – and then Kiba burst into uproarious laughter. He was so loud that Akamaru jumped and scampered off to duck behind Sakura's leg. As usual, Naruto took a while to catch on, but when he finally did, he laughed as well, scratching his head. It was so hilariously ironic that he couldn't help it.

Blushing profusely, Sakura picked up Akamaru and hid behind his fur, muttering to herself, "He's not a man yet..."

Anko barked out a laugh. These kids were so deliciously _childish_. She liked them. She couldn't remember what she had been like at their age. It hadn't mattered. Her neck prickled unpleasantly and she stiffly rolled one shoulder. "I came by to ask you three something, so listen up. It's important." She waited until Kiba had controlled his snorts. It didn't take long; the genins had sensed her shift into business-mode. "Did you run into any Grass shinobi in the forest?"

They glanced at each other and their heads came together, murmuring low words of discussion. Sakura tried to describe the Grass symbol for her friends. "Nope," Naruto said at last.

Anko unclenched the muscles she hadn't realised she had been contracting. She'd thought so. "What about snakes?"

"Oh, loads," Kiba answered. His dog seemed to nod.

"Really?"

"He was planning to drop one down your jacket while you were sleeping, Naruto," Sakura sighed. She had discovered the ploy before it had been executed and rescued the unfortunate reptile – which was fortunate, as Naruto's yells would have been heard from Wind Country.

Naruto gave Kiba a jab in the ribs and kicked his chair out from under him. Then he looked at Anko with a straight face, expecting her to reveal the purpose behind her strange questions. She _was_ the proctor of the exam; in other words, one of the most informed individuals at the moment. Something was up – and it wasn't the sky.

The jounin's eyes were distant as she spoke, grimacing as if she was remembering something she would rather forget. "We found out that an S-class missing-nin infiltrated the village and took the disguise of a participant from Grass. His name is Orochimaru and he was once a Leaf-nin."

Anko did not see the shock on her audience's faces. To the inexperienced genin, Konoha was a powerful shinobi village with near-impenetrable defences. It took a terrifying amount of skill to deceive the guards and hide right under the authority's nose. To think that they had eluded the _Hokage_. Kiba pulled himself up from the ground and flipped his seat upright without a word. Anko was somewhat of a friend to them, but she was still a special jounin and the atmosphere was set for a briefing.

"And?" he asked, when Anko made no indication to continue.

She looked at him, blinking for a while. Then she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "'And?' you ask," she mused, grinning. "And he's dangerous." They did not look impressed. She schooled her features into a grim expression. "I'm serious. We haven't found him yet and we don't know what he's planning. I'm just warning you; be careful."

Sakura nodded. Her mind was racing but she found that her composure was calm. Something did not add up. It wasn't everyday that the village was threatened by a high-class criminal.

Naruto looked dubious. "You came just to tell us that?" He didn't think so.

He was right. "Orochimaru wouldn't come back for a social visit. He's after something – I'm not qualified to tell you what, exactly, but I can tell you that he attacked a certain Team Seven. Kurenai told me you were classmates."

No one felt like eating after that.

* * *

Kiba was restless by the time Kurenai came to tell them that the second exam was over. There was nothing to do in the tower and his team did not dare to explore further than a few floors, aware that Gaara could be out for an untimely stroll.

In fact, the most eventful thing that happened was Team Seven's completion of the exam. Ino had bought the news to them four hours before the deadline, but when they went down to meet their classmates the only members present were Shino and Hinata, both looking dead on their feet. Apparently, Sasuke had been led off by their sensei shortly after their arrival.

No one from Team Ten wondered aloud about the Uchiha's absence so Kiba assumed that Anko's news had circulated. Most likely Sasuke had been injured by this Orochimaru person. Kiba did not dwell on the issue much; he had nothing against Sasuke but he simply did not see the need to care too deeply about him. The same could not be said for others, though. From his position at the rear of their team line, Kiba had little difficulty catching the subtle hints of curiosity and concern in Sakura's tight shoulders.

"_Sensei is looking at you,"_ Akamaru warned from atop his head, reminding his owner that they were obedient audiences to the Hokage's congratulatory speech. Kiba stood straighter and focused on the short figure standing at the front of the jounin assembly.

He tuned just in time to catch the slight outbreak at Sarutobi's disclosure of the true purpose of the Chuunin Exams – which he had missed completely. Kiba took advantage of the brief lapse as the Third stepped down to tap Sakura on the shoulder and ask for a relay of information, but all he got was something confusing about wars before a pale-skinned jounin took his turn addressing them.

The man coughed twice into his hand. "Hello, everyone. My name is Gekkou Hayate. I'll be your referee for the preliminary matches today."

Kiba's eyes were already narrowing. _Preliminaries?_

Hayate cleared his throat. He looked sick. "Um... the preliminaries are being held because we have too many people remaining. According to the rules, we have to hold a preliminary round to reduce the number of participants for the third exam. Due to the limited time we have on our hands, the preliminaries will commence immediately."

Kiba made sure he was heard amongst the complaints, but there was no room for negotiation. Hayate apologised for the inconvenience and smoothly moved on to announce that there was the option of dropping out from the exam if you were feeling ill; it would not affect your team as it was an individual contest from here onwards. Yakushi Kabuto, whom the Konoha rookies recognised from the beginning of the first exam, was the only one to raise his hand. He left through the back door – just as Sasuke slipped in and wordlessly joined his team. Shino began filling him in. As Kiba had expected, Kakashi was now standing in the previously-vacant spot beside Maito Gai.

They cleared out the stage in favour for the higher balconies. Naruto, who would never learn subtlety, openly stared at Sasuke as his team passed theirs. "He looks peachy to me," he muttered to Kiba. Then Kurenai-sensei appeared behind them and all discussions ceased.

Hayate briefly outlined the rules – or rather, the lack thereof: the matches were to be treated as equivalents of real-life battles and a winner was decided when their opponent is unable to continue fighting, though he would stop the match when the victor was clearly established. _So that means less chances of death, _Kiba thought, deliberately not looking at Gaara.

A panel on the far wall slid aside, revealing an electric board. By the time Kurenai had directed their attention toward it, the first pair of names had already been drawn: Aburame Shino and Abumi Zaku.

"That guy's arm is broken," Naruto noted vaguely. He was not too worried; he didn't have a good opinion of the Sound shinobi anyway. But now he was intrigued – how did Shino fight? It wasn't until now that he realised how little he knew about his former classmates in terms of their capabilities. Today, he would prove that he was no longer the dead-last.

"Sasuke did that."

Kiba and his teammates looked at Shikamaru, surprised. Even Kurenai silently evaluated her colleague's student. "Asuma told me that your team saw the ordeal," the jounin said quietly.

"Yeah, we did." Shikamaru scratched at a spot above his left ear.

"Sensei, what are you talking about?" But Kurenai only shook her head and nodded back to the match.

Shrugging frivolously, Naruto said, "Well, if Sasuke kicked his ass, that guy probably isn't that strong."

Below them, Zaku released a tremendous amount of pressure from his hand, slamming Shino into the opposite wall. The impact shuddered up the concrete and took several moments to dissipate.

"You and your big mouth, Naruto," Kiba muttered.

"Che, is that all you got? Get up, you," Zaku ridiculed. His tone was arrogant and overconfident, yet he visibly faltered when Shino slowly stood.

Brought up alongside a knowledgeable sister, Kiba was not overly shocked to see dark spots emerging from Shino's high collar and crawling along his cheek. But he _was_ taken aback to see the sea of bugs swarming behind Zaku, gradually eating up the distance. Although he was aware of the Aburame clan's abilities, he had never witnessed their techniques firsthand. The sheer number of Shino's 'allies' was overwhelming.

"The situation does not look good for you. Whichever direction you attack with your arm, the other will retaliate." If Shino was smug his flat voice did not express it very well. He was calm and in perfect control – then again, Kiba had not known him to be anything less.

Conscious of his predicament, Zaku swore caustically and stepped away from the advancing bugs whilst trying to keep Shino in his vision. When he realised that it was futile, he stopped and began cursing again, much more angrily this time. His frustration was clearly detectable and he did not respond when Hayate asked if he would like to forfeit.

Inuzuka Tsume had consistently reminded her children that cornered foes were the deadliest. Kiba began to subconsciously fear for Shino. And with good reason.

With a furious snarl, Zaku forcefully ripped his injured arm from its sling and, after screaming "_Don't mess with me!"_ turned the deadly nozzles in his hands toward both sides of opposition.

For years to come, Kiba would remember the pure astonishment on the Sound nin's face when the back of his arms exploded in a spray of blood. His agonised moans were cut short when Shino swiftly stepped inside his sloppy guard and backhanded him to the ground, returning the favour.

Sakura let out a horrified gasp, her hands flying to her mouth, when she noticed Zaku's bloody stump of a right arm. His detached hand rested metres away.

Naruto was on the verge of toppling over the rails, his eyes the size of coins. "Kurenai-sensei-"

"I think Shino closed off his air holes with his bugs, and the pressure accumulated until it was too much." Kurenai looked at Kakashi and he smiled pleasantly at her when he noticed her gaze. Then he turned away to pat his victorious student on the shoulder.

To plan ahead and execute a ruthless, irreparable sequence to his opponent... Naruto had newfound respect for Aburame Shino. Maybe some people weren't so weird. Although he did have to admit that the idea of controlling bugs was creepy.

Some distance along the balcony, he heard Neji inhale a sharp breath. "The bugs... they live inside him," he said in wonder.

Naruto gulped. He reminded himself never to get on Shino's bad side.

The next matchup featured Chouji and Gaara's face painted brother, Kankurou. As soon as Hayate gave approval for them to start, Chouji performed a jutsu that allowed his body to expand considerably. "I'm not going to lose!" he shouted, though to Naruto it sounded like he was speaking to assure himself.

Kankurou crossed his arms. "What's the use of a technique that only makes you fatter?" he smirked. "Going to squash me?"

Chouji's nostrils flared. "Exactly!" His arms, legs and head withdrew into his swelled torso. "Ninpou: Nikudan Sensha!"

The ground shook as the human tank thundered toward its target, rapidly picking up speed. Kankurou experimentally threw a kunai toward his opponent but the blade just glanced off harmlessly. Clicking his tongue with displeasure, he removed himself from its path just as Chouji barrelled past, banking sharply for another run.

Kankurou allowed himself to be chased to a corner and darted up the wall without breaking stride, gluing himself down with chakra. Plaster crumbled as Chouji smashed relentlessly into the barrier, but Kankurou was not deterred. With a well-practiced tug at the strap, the bandaged package on his back came free.

Wasting no time, Chouji released his jutsu and reverted back to his deflated self. Although slightly dazed, he quickly flicked through handseals and yelled, "Baika no Jutsu!"

A massive hand shot up and grabbed the surprised Kankurou – Naruto had trouble seeing the dark-clothed genin with the huge fist wrapped around him. He could still hear him though. "What a... surprise," Kankurou panted heavily. His fingers lost grip on the straps and his parcel fell to the ground with a loud thump, its contents still concealed behind half-unwrapped bandages.

"Go Chouji!" Ino cheered from the sidelines.

There was relief on the overweight boy's sweating face. He enlarged his other arm and wrapped his thick fingers securely around his victim while slowly and cautiously bringing him down from the wall.

"You can't move now, can you?" Kankurou was unresponsive and Chouji frowned. "Hey..." He gave Hayate an uncertain look. The jounin coughed, shrugging.

As if on cue, Chouji's huge arms abruptly became too heavy for him and he could only stare powerlessly as his hands hit the ground, creating shallow dents in the tiles, and releasing Kankurou in the process. "What... why-" Then his knees gave way, sending him keeling over on his side. His meaty arms shrunk back to their original size, leaving him squirming feebly.

"Can't move, can you?"

With some difficulty Chouji turned his head toward the voice. "You..."

Kankurou straightened and brushed a length of bandages from his arm. He sought out something that was lying behind Chouji. "Damn, you crushed it a little," he muttered. Naruto strained to make sense of the pile of rags he was referring to, and failed. Until it rose and jerkily moved toward Kankurou.

"It's a puppet," Sakura breathed.

"Meet Karasu." Kankurou looked down at his defenceless opponent. "Thanks to my buddy you've got a whole vial of paralysis solution sloshing around in that fat body of yours, kid."

"Don't call me fat," Chouji mumbled. He sounded miserable. Naruto noticed that Shikamaru's knuckles were white from squeezing the rail so tightly.

"This is why you don't play with big kids, fatty. Now, what to do with you..."

Hayate was suddenly between the two genins, grasping Kankurou's shoulder. "That's enough. You have already won."

Kankurou raised his hands in mock surrender. After confirming that Chouji was indeed unable to move, Hayate announced Kankurou the victor.

As Chouji was carried off by a team of medic-nins, Naruto decided that he _really_ didn't like the guys from Sand.

The billboard flashed again, scrolling through the scrambled names. Then it stopped.

Akado Yoroi versus Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Under his guise of a jounin, Jiraiya leaned forward with interest and watched Naruto make his way down to the grounds. About time the gaki had his name drawn up. Jiraiya sighed longingly as he thought of the many... conventional things he could have gotten around to. _All this just for that brat..._ He shook his head. Of course, he didn't necessarily have to be doing this. But he was interested.

The referee drew the two genins together in the centre. Jiraiya took the moment to look sideways at Sarutobi. He hadn't told his old teacher that he would be looking in - but the Hokage had probably figured it out for himself. The old man knew most, if not all, of his shinobi's faces. If the fact that Jiraiya had not yet been confronted meant anything, Sarutobi wanted him to see this too.

Naruto was dwarfed by his opponent, who was easily a head taller than he was, and quite possibly twice as experienced. Akado Yoroi sized him up. "I hope you're ready, midget."

"This 'midget' is going to beat ya," Naruto responded. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

With his dark glasses shading his eyes, it was hard to see if Yoroi was stunned to be surrounded by a ring of attackers in an instant. He raised one hand to adjust his glasses while he activated a technique which caused his other hand to spark with an unearthly glow. Jiraiya studied the jutsu. He had it figured out in under a minute and almost snorted when he did. Naruto had extraordinary luck.

Yelps filled the air as Yoroi began to methodically cut through the clones. A Naruto materialised from a shuriken thrown by one of his copies and latched onto the man's arm, his primary weapon. Two more blonde-haired genins thrust their kunai forward. Yoroi slammed his glowing hand against the obstructive clone's head, destroying it. Then, stepping out, he grabbed both of his attackers and flung them a good distance away from him. Both collided with a wall but only one popped out of existence.

The real Naruto lashed out with a shimmering whip. Yoroi arched back and let it pass over him but was too slow to avoid the watery belt on its second round; it recoiled and caught a glancing blow to the side of his head. His upper body jerked to the side and he stumbled a few steps. His glasses skidded across the floor.

Narrowing his eyes, Yoroi wiped water off his face. "I liked those," he said solemnly, referring to his cracked glasses. His voice grew deeper, almost morphing in a snarl. "This is the end of the line for you, brat!"

His burst of speed brought him a mere metre from Naruto's face. The Water Whip rose between the two genins, interrupting the blow that was intended for its wielder. Yoroi seized it and it splashed to the ground, dematerialised, after only an instant in his grasp. Naruto paused, his back against the wall, and Yoroi grabbed him by the fabric of his jacket, lifting him into the air.

Naruto choked a little. "H-hey, it doesn't hurt to be friendly, you know..."

A snort expressed Yoroi's disgust. His free hand, lathered with radiating chakra, raked against Naruto's stomach. The latter squirmed, kicking his feet. "How does it feel to have your chakra sucked from your body? It's glorious, isn't it?"

Gasping, Naruto struggled to free himself. His movements grew weaker and smaller until his arms hung limply by his side.

Yoroi laughed.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow when one of the genins overhead yelled down, "Oraa, cut it out, Naruto! He's getting on my nerves!"

The unmoving bundle dangling in the air suddenly came alive again. "Damn it, Kiba! I was just about to make my awesome comeback!" Naruto snapped. He belligerently made a face at his teammate, and then seemed to remember Yoroi. His opponent's expression was priceless. "Where were we...? Oh yeah-" Naruto grinned. "Just kidding. You expect _me_ to run out of chakra?"

His hands shot up and clutched the one holding him. With a grunt, he pulled his lower body up. Using Yoroi's other arm as a step Naruto snapped his leg up with impressive force. The heel of his sandal cracked against his opponent's jaw, inducing a howl that was cut short when Naruto jerked the unbalanced man forward. Falling, he braced the back of his shoulders against the ground and gathered enough momentum to fling Yoroi over his head and into the air.

But it wasn't over yet. Two shadow clones appeared in the air above Yoroi, clenched fists pulled back. Jiraiya's impressed whistle was lost in the thundering collision when the tall man smashed into the ground, imprinting a sizeable crater into the concrete.

Gekkou Hayate stared at the inert Konoha genin. "Um... Akado Yoroi is unable to continue fighting. Winner: Uzumaki Naruto."

As the loud boy executed a victory dance on the spot, spurred by his whooping friends, Jiraiya could have sworn he had felt Sarutobi's levelled gaze settling on him. He chuckled. If the Hokage had let him watch the match just to establish that the kid had potential, then his mentor really was slow on the uptake.

_Yep... that's Minato's kid, alright._

* * *

"... saw what he did to my clones and Water Whip and I knew he, like, absorbed chakra or something. And you know me, right? My acting was awesome, hey? Man, you should have seen me! I kicked ass!"

"Alright, alright! I saw it all, okay? So stop talking about it already!"

"And that move at the end was pretty cool, wasn't it? My clones-"

"Argh! Na-ru-to!"

Sakura warily edged away from the two boys. Naruto had been so busy recounting his entire fight to Kiba that both of them had seen very little of the round involving Temari and Tenten. To be fair, the match hadn't lasted very long. Tenten had only just regained consciousness, but her recovery would undoubtedly have taken much longer had Lee not rushed in to save her from being skewered on her own weapons. So far, the genins from Sand were exhibiting their formidability.

"My God, can't you control them, Sakura?" Ino complained tetchily. She regarded her squabbling classmates with distaste.

"I would if I could," Sakura replied dryly. Naruto was much too excited to be subdued this time and it wasn't like he didn't deserve the right to celebrate.

Ino was searching her hair for split ends. Finding one, Sakura pointed it out to her. "I didn't expect Naruto to win," Ino admitted, speaking softly so the subject in mention would not overhear her.

"He's been training hard." Sakura felt the need to defend her friend.

"Yes, I can see that."

They both watched the billboard. Even Naruto and Kiba had quieted down after Akamaru had nipped their ankles. The board froze. So did Sakura. The silence was very loud.

"Oh..." For a moment Kiba didn't seem to know what to say.

Hayate was calling the competitors down. "Sakura," Kurenai prompted. Her student exuded uncertainty. "Sakura. You've trained hard, haven't you?"

Not knowing what answer her teacher expected, she nodded.

"Then have some confidence in yourself."

Sakura just stared until Naruto gave her a warm hug and spouted all sorts of encouragement. "Don't let that cold bastard scare you. I'm rooting for ya."

"Go get 'im, Sakura," Kiba nodded.

Their confidence was assuring. Sakura smiled. "Gee, you guys think so highly of me. Who said I was scared?"

But they just looked at her like they understood. And there _was_ no reason to be scared. She wasn't scared. She was a little nervous, yes, but not scared. She had never been afraid of Sasuke.

It wasn't until Ino spoke that Sakura realised she had been walking with her to the stairs. "You know, I'm starting to think that you're not all that tied up about Sasuke anymore. The old Sakura would have forfeited."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest although she knew her friend was right. She couldn't imagine what else she would have done. "That was then, this is now," she said, recycling a cliché. "And why are you here, Ino? This is my fight."

At this, Ino openly hesitated. Halfway down the steps, Sakura stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you that..." Ino bit her lip and her voice became a whisper, "Sasuke isn't the same."

"What?"

"Something happened in the forest. I don't know what and I don't know why but – just... be careful."

With that, Ino spun and hurried back to her team. Sakura was left staring at her retreating back. Then, swallowing, she moved on.

Kept waiting, Sasuke looked impatient but Sakura carefully observed him and saw no glaring difference. He was still _the_ Uchiha Sasuke, the top rookie of their class and the heartthrob of so many girls.

"Are you both ready?" Hayate asked.

Both of them nodded. Sakura forced herself to look her opponent directly in the dark eyes. They really were beautiful, but so forbidding. "Let's have a good fight... Sasuke," she said softly, smiling a little.

For a heavy second he just looked flatly at her. Then he seemed to lose interest. "Hn." She was just a girl to him, a girl who had pestered him for years, who was now speaking to him as if she felt they could set aside all their differences.

The odds were not in her favour. She had improved, most definitely, but Sasuke must have been training hard as well. Sakura breathed deeply through her nose, allowing a sense of tranquillity to thrum through her veins. She could hear it all; her friends roaring support; Kurenai-sensei telling them to stop distracting her; the gravelly sound as Sasuke slid into a stance, his sandal scraping against the ground; and Hayate's voice: "Begin."

A pair of kunai streaked toward her before the special jounin had even finished pronouncing the last syllable. Eyes flashing, Sakura reached for a kunai of her own and knocked the first projectile down. She spun and threw her kunai, palming Sasuke's second just as it passed. She brought it up in a nick of time to parry the downstroke her opponent delivered. _He's fast_.

The two leapt away from each other. Sakura skidded several metres and quickly unbuckled her ankle weights, kicking them off. She grabbed one and flung it straight at Sasuke as he advanced. He attempted to ward it off with his kunai, but had underestimated its density, and his blade was sent spinning away with the heavy metal.

Relishing in her newfound lightness, Sakura launched a barrage of strikes that momentarily put her foe on the defensive. However, it was only a matter of time before Sasuke adjusted to her speed and retaliated in turn. He interrupted her attacks with his legs and dodged more frequently than necessary. Sakura soon realised that he had been forming handseals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Naruto gripped the handrail so hard it was beginning to hurt. He couldn't even see Sakura through the destructive flames, sprung at a close range. Then he spotted a flash of pink moving at incredible speed in the space behind Sasuke, and grinned widely.

The fundamentals of the element of surprise filled Sakura's mind as she neared Sasuke. He hadn't noticed her yet and obviously had not realised that she had switched places with one of the weights she had discarded earlier. She hoped Takara-sensei wouldn't be too upset about it.

Sakura landed a hammering kick to Sasuke's ribs. The flames sputtered out as their summoner flipped back, scowling. He was given little time to recover. Sakura threaded through handseals, her hands moving faster than she thought possible, and breathed out a fireball almost identical to the one that had threatened to consume her only half a minute ago.

Sasuke threw himself into the air and shuriken rained down. None of them provided Sakura with much difficulty and she soon discovered why. Flames raced down wires attached to the weapons. Sakura was forced to abandon her technique and replace herself with her second ankle weight before she was caught up in a tornado of fire.

She released her wrist weights as well and immediately gathered the moisture in the air into a whip. She wondered how much chakra she had left. She couldn't keep this up for too long. Sasuke seemed undeterred by the few blows she had managed to land on him. As they locked together Sakura noted that he wore a permanent frown, as if he was frustrated with himself. Had she shown him that she had grown from the useless girl she had once been? Their match was undoubtedly the longest one conducted so far.

The breaking point erupted when Sakura, throwing her Water Whip into his face to distract him, twisted out of the lock he had her in. One of the jade rings she wore at the end of her pigtails collided squarely with Sasuke's nose and issued a sickening crunch. He grunted and reeled back, holding a hand to his face. Dark liquid trickled through his fingers.

Sakura stopped, breathing hard. A part of her was mortified. But then Naruto broke out in laughing whoops and she reminded herself that this was a competition. She shouldn't be upset with herself.

The glare Sasuke shot toward the balcony was sharp enough to cut. Slowly, he lowered his hand. His face was dominated by shades of red – even his eyes. The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, exactly the way it was described in the library's scrolls. Sakura recoiled a little when the crimson eyes locked bluntly with hers. Bitterness, anger and several other raw emotions were transferred in a single gaze. She shivered involuntarily.

Then those daunting eyes widened and Sasuke unexpectedly sagged, clutching his neck. Sakura saw Hayate frown and take a step forward, but stopped when the downed genin threw a hand out. "Stay out of this!" Sasuke panted.

"Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura remembered what Ino had said; not just what she had told her, but also what they had discussed on the day that Team Eight had made it to the tower. She understood so little about Sasuke. He wasn't just the popular boy everyone idolised. He was more and she had no idea what. How could she sense change in him if she'd never truly known him in the first place?

Her lack of attention very nearly cost her. Sasuke had drawn level with her, red eyes blazing. Sakura spread shuriken in an attempt to put some distance between them, and was shocked when her opponent recklessly charged into them – until smoke rose and something metallic fell to the ground. It was one of her weights.

Too late, Sakura turned, arms half-raised to defend herself. Shuriken sliced deep gashes in her flesh, shredding her jacket; some drove into her shoulder and a couple more would have blinded her had she not shifted her weight at the last moment.

A solid kick penetrated her guard and spun her round; her ribs groaned perilously. Her feet left the ground. Sakura could find no purchase and was powerless to defend herself as Sasuke relentlessly continued to beat her back until she felt the wall behind her. Another set of shuriken slammed into the wall around her and thin wires stretched across her front, drawing thin lines of blood when she struggled.

A rush of air raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Sakura lifted her head and saw that Sasuke's fist was centimetres from her face, as if he had held himself back. She couldn't look away from the bruised knuckles, or the cold eyes behind them. Blood dripped down Sasuke's chin and onto her.

Slowly and deliberately, he pulled another kunai from his pouch and held it against her neck.

"You're annoying, Haruno."

* * *

The moment the match was over, Naruto vaulted over the rail and consequently was the first to reach Sakura. He had passed Sasuke on the way and dimly regretted not decking him. But even he knew that was just childish. Sasuke had won fair and square. It hurt to see his teammate lose, but Naruto was sure that Sakura would be feeling worse than he was. He didn't want to worsen her temperament by being an idiot.

Hayate had cut through the wires and Naruto arrived in time to catch Sakura when her legs buckled. Very gently, he lowered her to the floor. Aware that she didn't want to hear whatever words of comfort he had to offer, he gave her a bright grin and said, "You were awesome. Full stop."

That drew a weary laugh from her. "I still lost."

"You don't have to win to win."

Instead of pointing out that he was spouting nonsense, Sakura smiled wearily. "Thanks, Naruto."

Kiba and their sensei joined them shortly. Akamaru licked Sakura's face, shrewdly keeping clear of her wounds. "You know, I think you might've broken his nose," Kiba said, sounding too content with the news he was delivering.

Looking past her team, Sakura saw that Sasuke was being escorted out of the hall with a cloth pressed to his nose. Kakashi was following him out, holding a book that he wasn't reading. She wondered if it had anything to do with his student's brief collapse during the battle.

Kurenai leaned in and slid an arm behind her shoulders. "The medics don't have a stretcher with them. I'll take you down to the infirmary."

"It's okay, Kurenai-sensei. I can..." Sakura winced when she tried to rise; a shuriken protruded from a spot just below her right knee.

"Not walk," Kurenai said for her, and carefully lifted the girl.

"Me and Akamaru will see you after we win our fight," Kiba promised.

That was right; there were more matches coming up. Sakura half-heartedly glanced up at the board. Then she looked again. It had not been a trick of the light.

"No..."

Puzzled by her dismay, her teammates looked up as well. Kurenai held Sakura a little closer to her chest, her eyes hard.

Yamanaka Ino versus Sabaku no Gaara.

"Ino...!" But her voice was not heard by her friend, who was already heading down the stairs. Ino hadn't seen the acts Gaara had committed. She didn't know what he was capable of. If she provoked him, maybe just by being drawn up as his opponent, Gaara would – Ino –

Seeing her distress Naruto squeezed her hand. "Don't worry; I'll watch with Kiba and make sure he doesn't do anything to Ino." Kiba nodded his agreement. "You rest up, alright, Sakura? It'll be fine."

"Warn Asuma," Kurenai told the two boys.

Kiba pressed something into Sakura's hand. "Don't look so down," he remarked.

The match was about to begin. Kurenai turned away and carried her injured student out of the vicinity. As they followed a pair of medic-nins, Sakura looked down at her hand and saw what Kiba had given her. A lolly from the packet she had given him. She smiled.

And then she heard Ino scream.

* * *

Only Kiba's hold on his jacket held Naruto back from leaping down the balcony. He had been coiled tightly since the beginning of the match and Ino's cry of agony had snapped the tension.

"Asuma-sensei said he would handle it, remember? Look – he hasn't rushed in yet. And what can you do that a bunch of jounin can't?" Kiba was hissing in his teammate's ear, drilling reason into Naruto's one-track mind. The Inuzuka had known he would overreact. Naruto was always too keen to live up to his word and tended to shun common sense.

"But she screamed..." The other boy was looking past Kiba's shoulder, focusing on the figure below them. Ino was on her knees, clutching her head. She had performed some sort of jutsu the moment the fight had started, though the effects were still unknown to them. Her body had abruptly gone limp for over a minute, and now she was acting as if she had seen a ghost. Naruto had heard an agitated Shikamaru muttering about risks, but he doubted _this_ was what he'd had in mind.

Shakily, Ino attempted to stand, and failed. "What... what was th-that?" she gasped, and squeezed her eyes shut as if a migraine was splitting her head.

It was a while before Gaara's lips moved. "My mother." His voice was a dry rasp and Naruto saw that his eyes were abnormally wide. His pupils had contracted noticeably and his mouth was parted in a cruel grin.

Naruto couldn't look away. "Kiba..."

The air was heavy and laced with foreboding. Hayate began to open his mouth, his eyes reflecting doubt.

"Kiba, I think he's really going to-"

Akamaru began barking frantically, the sharp tones gradually fading into submissive whimpers. There was a moment of silence that lasted for no longer than a second.

Then a torrent of sand exploded from Gaara's gourd, twisting in the air. It moved like a dragon – dominant, with purpose, and recklessly fast. In a blink of an eye it had formed a wave and was crashing down on its unmistakeably prey. Ino couldn't move at all, and definitely not in time to escape imminent death.

"Asuma-sensei!" Kiba yelled.

But the man was no longer standing beside them.

The sand lunged. Naruto could barely see the floor now. What if Asuma hadn't made it in time? He didn't want to see anyone die, especially someone he knew. If only Kiba wasn't binding him, he'd be down there.

Then someone – Shikamaru, perhaps – shouted something no one could interpret, but his alarm was enough to divert the audience's attention. Naruto scanned the arena with desperation that he didn't really understand. Then Kiba shook his arm so hard it rattled in the joint and jabbed a finger. Near the statue at the front of the room, Asuma was just straightening, his student tucked safely under his arm.

"This match is over. Ino has withdrawn." He sounded composed but his expression revealed that he was very upset. Ino didn't even try to argue her sensei's declaration; she was too horrified by whatever it was she had witnessed.

Asuma leaned over to speak to Naruto and Kiba after he had brought Ino to the balcony. "I wouldn't have reacted as quickly if you hadn't told me to keep an eye out." He didn't thank them but the message was there. Naruto felt himself nodding alongside Kiba, feeling awfully formal.

"Hey, get a hold of yourself." Shikamaru worriedly shook Ino's shoulder. Maybe he had jolted her too hard; Ino heaved out her stomach's contents.

Asuma's frown deepened. "I'll take her to the medics."

After the two of them left his sight, Shikamaru sighed heavily. Naruto noticed that he gave Gaara a suspicious look, no doubt assessing his abilities and motives. Next to him, Chouji slowly folded up a food wrapper. "I wonder what Ino saw inside him," he said quietly.

Kiba faced them. "'Inside him'?" he echoed. "What do you mean?"

"Must I explain? I expected you to know this, Kiba." Shikamaru went on without waiting for an answer. "Ino's family has their own techniques, just like mine and Chouji's. They specialise in mind jutsu. Ino left her body and entered that guy's. I don't know what she saw, but I think it's safe to say that her plan backfired."

"This never happened before." Chouji sounded troubled.

"Huh... what do you think?" Kiba looked toward Naruto, but the latter was too busy staring at the other side of the room, his eyes fixed on Gaara.

"She saw something inside him," he muttered. That had already been established - but Naruto was murmuring the words as if he had just heard them.

Kiba would have asked him if Chouji hadn't tapped his shoulder and turned him to the board. Immediately, Kiba cast a surveying look at Hyuuga Hinata, who stood on the other side of Team Ten. Her sudden jerk of movement told him that she was aware of his gaze, but she failed to meet his eye.

Akamaru made a small sound. _"I don't want to fight her."_

"Me neither, boy."

"Eh? You're scared?" Naruto put effort into sounding surprise, hoping to mask his relief of the change of subject.

"Nope. The opposite." Kiba raised a knee and Akamaru clambered to his shoulder. His expression was unreadable as he pulled his hood over his hair. "Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

Once she had settled Sakura, Kurenai returned to the hall, arriving five minutes into Kiba's match with Hinata. Naruto did not notice her presence until she stepped up to the rail and entered his line of vision. _He's acting strange,_ she thought. Having encountered Asuma on her way back, she knew what she had missed out on. Naruto would have formed his own interpretation by now.

"Gatsuuga!" Kiba snarled. He and Akamaru were vortexes, sniping down chaotically. Hinata flipped between them, spinning and dodging. It was all she could do to avoid being crushed.

Hyuuga Hinata. The girl could easily have been her student. Kurenai had seen the child through a part of her childhood. It was an unkind destiny to be born as the leader of the Hyuuga clan's eldest child. Hinata, too kind, was not suitable for the role. The burdened pressure was visible in her uncertainty and in her eyes. Hyuuga Hiashi would definitely see his daughter's defeat as humiliating. Kurenai wondered how Kakashi handled her, but the silver-haired jounin had yet to return.

Observing the battle, Kurenai noted that Hinata was holding off Kiba's onslaughts with more dexterity than she had expected. Considering the two-on-one situation, she guarded herself well, especially with her Byakugan reading her opponents' movements. When it came to the offensive, however, she was less assertive, and Kiba's brute strength gradually began to wear her down. Superficial wounds surfaced as Hinata struggled to face two adversaries. Seeing her pupil's curled lip, Kurenai wondered how much Kiba resented fighting someone like Hinata.

One of the Kibas ducked beneath a chakra-layered strike and raked his jagged claws along Hinata's unguarded torso. Blood welled up instantly. Following through, Kiba swept her legs out from under her. Clutching her side, Hinata flung an arm out to break her fall, skidding away.

Something flew through the air. Kurenai watched it sail toward Hinata. She realised what it was in time to quickly look away. The flash bomb went off, bringing about groans of discomfort. Kiba had played a wise card; Hinata's Byakugan greatly enhanced her sight. She would be blinded, if only for a moment.

A second Kiba pushed off from a wall and launched himself at the girl. Her Byakugan had slipped from her control and as Hinata shook her head from side to side, she became aware of the danger. She threw herself back just as a grey blur slashed over her head. She fell on her back and jarred her wound. It was the opening Kiba needed.

The first replicate came down on her, claws extended. Dust sprang up with the impact. It was difficult to see the outcome. The other Kiba looked on, his chest heaving. Kurenai narrowed her eyes as the ground around them cracked.

"C'mon, Kiba," Naruto muttered.

The debris cleared.

Hinata's shallow breaths shuddered through pain and anxiety. One arm was raised to the ceiling, two fingers pointed upward. A deep depression had been gouged into the ground directly next to her head.

"Akamaru!" Kiba knelt down and scooped up his dog, lying unresponsively by Hinata's side. "Akamaru, answer me... what did you-"

Hinata cut through his anger. "D-don't worry," she whispered. Blood oozed from the side of her head. "I didn't hit a vital point... he should be okay..."

Her words flushed some panic from his features, but Kiba still checked for a pulse. Akamaru's body was small and his chakra pathways were tied much closer to his internal organs compared to a human. The Juujin Bunshin was simply a transformation technique that allowed Akamaru to take on his master's form; it did not necessarily change his body composition. If Hinata had forced chakra out of more than two fingers, there was a high likelihood that Akamaru would have suffered severe internal bleeding.

Kiba acknowledged the significance of the refrained blow. His voice was soft, almost gentle, when he spoke to Hinata. "Can you move?"

Hinata bit her lip. She was fairly confident that she could stand... but her vision was already going blurry. She could tell she was at her limit. She shook her head. It hurt.

"Proctor," Kiba called.

Hayate walked over and took another look at the scene. "The winner of this match is Inuzuka Kiba."

* * *

Sakura was glad Kurenai had returned to take her down to the hall when the last match had been fought. Kiba accompanied the jounin and brought the news of his victory with him. Unfortunately, Akamaru had been injured, but it wasn't too serious. The medics said he would make a full recovery.

_I'm the only one in the team who didn't win, _she realised glumly.

Kiba went off the check on Akamaru, and Kurenai took the opportunity to talk to her student. "Are you disappointed?" she asked softly.

Finding it pointless to deceive her sensei, Sakura nodded slowly. "Just a little though. Up against Sasuke... I tried my best. I... can't think of anything I would have done differently if I was given a second chance."

She'd had time to mull it over. When Ino had been admitted into the infirmary, the two girls had spent some time discussing the match. Ino refused to speak about her experience but Sakura had continued the conversation once she saw that it helped ease her distress. She had been terrified that Gaara had brought grave harm to her friend. It definitely brought the values of friendship into perspective.

Kurenai-sensei didn't say much in response – her actions spoke volumes. She wordlessly retied Sakura's hair, smoothed it down, and smiled. "Good girl."

Sakura had missed three matches. She was not surprised to see Neji and Lee amongst the winners, but she couldn't help the flare of surprise when she recognised Shikamaru. According to Naruto, he had fought against the girl from Sound and 'did cool things with shadows'. Sasuke was there too, of course; his nose appeared to have been mended. Sakura thought of his last words to her and stood a little closer to Kurenai, fixing her eyes solely on Naruto and Kiba.

An unexplainable elation blossomed in her chest when the Hokage commended the genins lined up before him. Ten matches had been held and each had produced a respective winner. They would advance to the third and final exam. Her teammates were among them. Feeling joyful for others was a strange sensation. Sakura hoped she would learn to acknowledge and accept it.

Anko shook a small white box. "I'll come around with this. Put your hand inside and take out one piece of paper."

When each participant had drawn a paper, they were told to read out the number printed on their piece. They seemed to be numbered from one to ten. Naruto had drawn a four, Kiba a one. Morino Ibiki jotted something down on a clipboard.

Sarutobi waited until the jounin had finished writing. "The third exam is a tournament," he announced.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "That's why we drew those numbers, right?"

"Correct. Show them the arrangements, Ibiki."

Sakura couldn't make out the names from her vantage point, and was forced to wait until the meeting was over. The final exam was going to be held in one month... it felt so far away compared to the rushed schedule they had been forced under so far.

"Well?" Kurenai asked Naruto and Kiba made their way over.

"I'm up against Shino," Kiba shrugged. "I need to buy some bug spray."

"And you'd better win," Naruto told him. He grinned at Sakura. "If both of us win our first matches, we'll get to showdown in the next round. It's gonna be sweet!"

"You sound happy," she deadpanned.

"Who are you facing, Naruto?" Kurenai questioned.

Sakura knew something was wrong when Naruto's smile slipped a little. Then he was smiling again. "Me? I got the Sand freak."

Naruto had drawn Gaara.

Sakura gazed at his face. His confidence was familiar to her by now. She shouldn't be concerned. Naruto never let anything beat him down. At the end of the day, he somehow prevailed. Always. She admired him for it. "You can do it," she said. He returned her encouragement with a grateful smile. If his own team didn't support him, who would?

Kurenai looked around. "The preliminaries are over now."

She turned back to see three pairs of expectant eyes on her. She gave a small grin.

"Who wants to get ramen?"

* * *

A/N: ... Five months since the last update. I have nothing to say for myself. At first, it was procrastination. Then it developed into what I realised now was a writer's block. Most of my writing got held up, but I had the inspiration to write again last week, so here is the next chapter of Precious People. I've never had such a long break between updates before. It feels good to be writing again!

I hope this chapter made up for the long wait! And I am going to pray that I never get writer's block ever again. It is _horrible_.


	16. Time to Fly

**Chapter 16 – Time to Fly**

The park was unusually empty when Team Eight finished their walk. Kiba wondered if it was the time of day that made the difference; it was almost midday and the time for leisurely strolls had passed for most of the populace. It felt like the day was going by very slowly, but Kiba was not naïve enough to believe that the following weeks would be as lax.

Glancing over at his teammates, he could tell that they had found the walk as lacking as he had. After the strenuous laps around the village that they had pulled themselves through, not even ten rounds of hard-pressed walking could faze them. Or at least, that would have been the case if the genins hadn't just dragged themselves out of the Forest of Death and taxing preliminary matches two days ago.

Catching his eye, Sakura shook her head and signalled for a timeout. The injuries she had sustained in her match against Sasuke had been tended to by the medics but she had only been released on the strict probation to take it easy for a few days. Even after the long night of rest Kiba's body was tense and sore.

Naruto looked at his friends, not missing the strain in their movements. He couldn't feel a single hint of fatigue. "Wanna stop?" he grinned.

Not for the first time, both Sakura and Kiba turned to give him a baleful look, cursing his inexhaustible stamina. "I'll outlast you one day," Kiba vowed with narrowed eyes. "Wait for it. I'll beat you."

"Give it up, Kiba," Sakura told him. "The day he becomes Hokage will come way before the day you manage that. He's crazy."

Naruto's grin widened as he cocked a hand to his ear. "Oho! Did I hear that right? Sakura-chan thinks I can be Hokage too?"

"Baka, it's a figure of speech!" Her bluster of protest fell on deaf ears.

"Sakura-chan believes in me! Yatta!"

Kiba raised an eyebrow as he watched Naruto jump and punch the air with undying vigour. "Maybe you're right, Sakura. I'm never going to outlast him. Just look at him."

"Told you." Sakura sat down on the grass and Kiba joined her after a while. Akamaru whined from the front of his master's jacket and burrowed his way out. He padded over to Sakura and made himself comfortable in her lap. "Hey Akamaru," she greeted, stroking his fur. "Are you feeling better?"

The dog purred contently.

"Good thing Hinata held back. Hana said he should be fine in a couple of days." Kiba's expression grew a tad tight even as he shrugged. He hadn't quite forgiven himself for being so careless. It wouldn't have been tolerated if the opponent had been anyone but Hyuuga Hinata.

"That's good." Sakura tickled Akamaru under the chin, her eyes still on Naruto. Only he could celebrate for so long over a few words. "What sort of Hokage do you think he would make, Kiba?"

He blinked at her. "Who? Naruto?"

"No, Akamaru, of course."

Kiba overlooked the gibe as he turned his gaze to the blonde boy running circles around the fountain. He hadn't expected Sakura to ask such a question, seeing as she had never expressed explicit interest in Naruto's ambition. But then again, she had once refused to give Naruto the time of day. _People change,_ _I suppose_, Kiba thought. He knew he had. Only a few months ago, Uzumaki Naruto was the last person he would consider eligible for the title of Hokage, but here he was, picturing it all too easily.

Chuckling, he said, "A loud one."

Sakura tilted her head, trying to see it from Kiba's view. It wasn't hard. "Yeah, I'd say so, too," she agreed with a short laugh.

When Naruto finally decided to join them they unpacked the food from the backpack he had been carrying and set out a large mat. It had been Sakura's idea to have a picnic and, of course, Naruto had volunteered to help her carry it. He knew his friends were still worn out from the second exam but they had persisted in meeting today, and he didn't see the point in convincing them otherwise. They all shared the same thoughts – it would most likely be their last gathering for a while.

The food Sakura had prepared disappeared quickly over animated recounts of the Chuunin Exam. It didn't take long for the boys to dive into a debate over who had fought the best preliminary match. Sakura was used to her teammates' antics by now, but she was caught completely off guard when Naruto's head came up from the competitive discussion and he said, "You know, I think Sakura's was the coolest. She broke that Sasuke's nose!"

When Kiba started to agree, Sakura began to get a little uncomfortable. "Wait a minute – I didn't even win."

"Does it matter?"

She managed to catch herself before she answered with an immediate affirmative. She'd had this talk with her team before. What had Naruto said? 'You don't have to win to win'? Somehow, when she had been lying there defeated and bleeding, Sakura had understood exactly what he had meant. It was hard to have regrets when she had tried her hardest. Fighting Sasuke had changed her in ways she couldn't begin to understand and she had walked away – okay, been carried away – feeling a strange sense of self-achievement. In light of that, maybe winning didn't matter that much.

Naruto and Kiba shared a grin when a slow smile spread on Sakura's face.

Not even food scraps remained by the time the conversation drifted away from the Exam. Kiba had stretched out on the grass and, gazing up at the clouds lazily wafting by, he said, "I won't have much time to hang with you guys after today. I've got clan training to do before the tournament and my mother's an absolute slavedriver." He turned his head toward Naruto. "What about you? Are you going to train with Sensei?"

The other boy picked at the grass in front of him, his expression thoughtful. "I dunno… last night Kurenai-sensei made it sound like there was someone else who could train me."

Sakura remembered what Kurenai had said at dinner the night before. She admitted that it was a bit strange for the jounin to remind Naruto that she was a genjutsu specialist and therefore not the best person to offer him personal training, yet neglect to suggest someone to take her place. There weren't many people Sakura knew who could supervise Naruto's training and she was certain Kurenai would have mentioned her if Takara had been one of the candidates. For their sensei to be so ambiguous when it came to the welfare of her own students was… peculiar.

"She said she could still train you, didn't she?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, but…" Naruto made a face. "I don't know why… but I get the feeling that Sensei thinks I should ask someone else to help me train. It's weird."

"It's not that weird." Sakura had spoken without thinking and was surprised to find her teammates staring curiously at her, prompting elaboration. "Um, well… Naruto said it himself when we were thinking about whether or not we should take the Chuunin Exam, remember? Kurenai-sensei would only want what's best for us, so she must have her reasons if she thinks there's someone else who can train Naruto."

Naruto blinked. He couldn't have fathomed that Sakura had paid such attention to his words – it was nice to be proven wrong. "I'll figure it out," he said finally, kicking up a warm tone. "I can still fall back on Sensei even if I don't. In any case, I'm going to beat Gaara – and then I'm gonna kick your ass, Kiba!"

Although he cracked a grin, Kiba surprised his companions by letting the challenge pass by him. Instead, his voice was soft as he said, "Sabaku no Gaara isn't going to go down easily, Naruto. You've seen those things he can do with that sand."

Sensing the gravity of Kiba's words, Naruto grimaced and tried to shrug it off. "He's got to have some sort of weakness…"

"It's not just that." Kiba shook his head. "The final exam is different to the other two. It's a big event. The daimyo and even other Kage are going to be there. It's not going to be like Ino's match where Asuma-sensei could cut in. The only person who can stop the match is the proctor and even they can be slow." He glanced at Naruto, his expression grim. "What I'm saying is, you've got to look out for yourself, Naruto. Be careful. I'm serious."

Naruto fell silent. Sakura deliberately began to fold away the picnic mat when he looked over at her, biting her lip. Like Kiba, she didn't want to discourage him into thinking that he stood no chance. Sakura realised that some part of her actually believed that her teammate could defeat Gaara. Uzumaki Naruto was more capable of turning the odds than anyone. But he was only unpredictable because he was so reckless and stubborn. Even if he emerged victorious, it would most likely come at a price. His friends had every reason to be worried.

"Sure."

Both his teammates looked up; even Akamaru seemed to stare. Naruto grinned. "I'll be careful. Promise."

He wasn't going to assure them with confident claims of how powerful the future Hokage was, and that no creepy panda could bring him down. Just a simple promise. And for some reason, Sakura and Kiba liked it that way.

* * *

Being a teacher was harder than it was supposed to be. There were many things Kurenai would have liked to do in her leisure time, like tending to her garden and trying out a new recipe – but instead she found herself stranded in Konoha's public library, frowning down at a thick book and nursing a potential headache.

Suppressing a sigh, Kurenai snapped the book shut and returned it to the shelf. She was generally an avid reader, but after staring at pages of complicated seals for almost an hour even she was beginning to reconsider her pastimes.

Kurenai rounded into the next aisle and looked up at the spines of tomes dedicated to elemental jutsu. It reminded her that she had yet to determine her students' affinities, and she made a mental note to procure some chakra paper. A shinobi would not get very far without mastering their natural element.

Due to the substantial amount of books the library catalogued, the shelves were considerably taller to accommodate the needs. Despite her height the shelves around Kurenai easily exceeded her by several heads, making the book she had spotted on the top ledge seem like a bad choice. Ninja techniques were prohibited from use on the premises to prevent any 'accidents' from befalling the literature, so Kurenai sighed and cast around for a stool she could make use of.

That was how she came across Sarutobi Asuma emerging from an adjacent aisle.

Both jounins became aware of the other's presence at the same time, but their reactions to the acquaintance were oddly contrasting. Where Kurenai's idea of a greeting was an acknowledging nod, Asuma's appeared to be a grimace of discomfort, and he seemed to take too long deciding whether or not to approach his colleague.

His unusual behaviour was not unnoticed. "I'm surprised to see you here, of all places," Kurenai said.

"Hm. Well." Asuma coughed. "I do read. Sometimes."

His fellow jounin wondered if the shuffling of his large hands was supposed to be a subtle attempt to conceal the book he had chosen. Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Would you mind introducing me to your book?"

"Ah, no… you wouldn't like it." An awkward silence followed. Asuma cleared his throat and started toward the checkout. "I have to meet my team later so I'll just get going now…"

He let out an audible sigh of relief when Kurenai stepped aside to let him past. A mistake.

"Asuma."

He stiffened and cautiously looked over his shoulder. "Yes?" The sight of Yuuhi Kurenai coolly crossing her arms over her chest was somehow more intimidating than throwing a grievous argument with his father.

"You are aware that I frequent this library many times a week, aren't you?"

Asuma nodded warily. He willed himself to get a grip on his composure. He was a jounin, for Kami's sake! A jounin who had run into the last person he wanted to come across right now.

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as Kurenai stepped closer to him. She regarded him steadily. "So what makes you think I wouldn't know that you just walked out of the erotica section?"

Asuma was suddenly _very_ grateful for the library's no-jutsu policy – he didn't want to imagine what Kurenai would do to him without it.

He sighed and held his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright. You got me. I didn't think I'd run into you." He noticed the cold stare Kurenai had fixed him with and blanched. "Err, I mean… I wasn't really…" He threw up his hands. "Okay, this is hopeless."

"Yes, it is," Kurenai agreed. It was bad enough that Kakashi was constantly hiding behind those perverted orange books – soon every male jounin she knew would be engrossed in the series. Then again, the thought of Maito Gai giggling and blushing was rather… challenging.

Twitching, Kurenai glanced up to see Asuma blinking curiously at her, and she realised that she had a terrifying scowl on her face. "I expected more from the Sandaime's son," she said dryly.

"Hey, blame Kakashi. He came up with the stupid bet."

_Do I want to know?_ was in Kurenai's eyes.

"More of his kids passed the preliminary than mine." Asuma may have been drunk on shame but he had no difficulty catching the flicker across Kurenai's face. He tactfully tried to change the subject. "Your kids did pretty well, too. It's thanks to them that Ino is in one piece."

He wondered if he had said the wrong thing when Kurenai glanced at him with a studious look in her eye. Asuma abruptly remembered that Uzumaki Naruto had been drafted against the same murderous genin that had almost crippled Ino, and felt the last vestiges of discomfort drain from his being. "Worried?" he murmured, using the light tone that had always worked on her back when they had been on the same ANBU team.

He revelled in the light surprise dawning in Kurenai's crimson eyes, until she shook her head and strode down the aisle she had emerged from earlier. "Help me reach a book, Asuma," she called shortly.

Asuma shrugged and dutifully followed her. He casually glanced over the cover of the manuscript as he pulled it down, then paused for a second look when he registered the title: _Advanced Counteraction of Doton Techniques._ He passed it to Kurenai, resisting the urge to casually mention that Sand and Earth were two very different elements. It was easy to be dismissive when Shikamaru hadn't been the one to draw Sabaku no Gaara.

As if she were able to sense his empathy Kurenai raised her head and graced him with a brief smile, which he tried to return as composedly as he could. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Asuma was glad that he had taken the time to understand Yuuhi Kurenai.

Still, a place where he couldn't smoke was a prison. Asuma was ready to excuse himself when Kurenai released another sigh and closed the book. He wordlessly slipped it back in place for her, noting the hazy glaze in her eyes that surfaced whenever she spent too long reading, thinking, or both. They hadn't been in much contact since ANBU but it seemed that he still knew Kurenai better than she liked to think.

He gently turned her away just as she reached out for another book, shrugging off the questioning look she shot him. "Tea? My treat."

Kurenai had seen that coming but she still pretended to consider. She knew Asuma could see through the façade and – even better – knew that it inexpressively annoyed him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realised that teasing Sarutobi Asuma had never been so much fun.

When he grew even more uneasy, Kurenai decided to let him off. And throw him into the frying pan.

"Only if you admit that Kakashi's bet was nothing more than an excuse."

She decided that Naruto was definitely rubbing off on her when she found herself grinning at Asuma's pale look of pure dismay.

* * *

Naruto wandered around the village without purpose after his teammates had left. They had stopped by at Ichiraku's for one last ramen bowl together, even though Sakura pointed out that they had only just finished a picnic. It had been Kiba's turn to treat and he had regretfully left to run an errand for his clan after the meal. Naruto played gentleman and walked Sakura home after he had managed to coax her into getting more rest; the memory of her prideful smile was sadly accompanied by another of her crumpling under the weight of her wounds, bleeding from dozens of lacerations.

At the door, he made her promise to take things easy or he would call on his old friend The Monster Under the Bed.

She hit him gently, her eyes smiling. "Good luck with your training."

_With who?_ Naruto wondered to himself after he had seen her inside.

He absently kicked a can as he walked, trying to figure out exactly what Kurenai expected from him. Sakura was right; Sensei would not purposefully disadvantage him. But it was so obvious that she wanted him to look for another teacher. If there was someone else for the job, why hadn't she just told him who it was?

Naruto groaned and knuckled his head. Thinking was so not his kind of thing.

Shaking his head, he took a look at his surroundings and was surprised that his aimless stroll had taken him to the metropolitan edge – at the mouth of the track that led down to the lake, in fact. Naruto stared thoughtfully down the path for a while. Then he shrugged and trudged down it. He may not have a teacher yet but in the meantime it couldn't hurt to train by himself, could it?

Naruto had liked going down to the lake ever since he was a kid. He'd liked it for its quiet atmosphere and lack of villagers looking down at him with disapproval. Once upon a time, it had been his imaginary fort, where Uzumaki Naruto was an unbeatable hero. To this day he continued to subconsciously treasure it – so no one could blame him for throwing a fit when he saw that it was damaged.

The lake itself was untouched – thank God – but the foredune of grass on the bank was nothing but a tarmac of dead, blackened weeds. Naruto knelt down and touched the grey soil, frowning. It didn't seem freshly charred; the grass just wasn't growing back after whatever had razed it. His eyes snaked down the damage, following the slithering outline of its wake. Only this part of the area had been vandalised. It was as if a rampaging dragon had-

He narrowed his eyes. _Wait a minute…_

Naruto shot to his feet with a sudden cry, his eyes blazing with wild excitement.

* * *

For a super pervert, Jiraiya was a little ashamed that he could do no better than conduct his 'research' through the annoying bathhouse wall. Or at least, he would have been ashamed if he wasn't so grateful for the blissful reprieve that he graciously overlooked the inconvenience.

A frown formed on Jiraiya's face. The afternoon had reminded him rather callously of the distaste he had towards the village's council, especially Sarutobi's two advisors. They had done nothing but call on him in the middle of the night for the past few days, demanding updates on the intelligence network. As reasonable as their concern was, Jiraiya had his own problems to deal with and did not take kindly to the intrusion upon the freedom he had fancied for over a decade.

After storming the office and coldly demanding their faith in his ability to prioritise the welfare of his village, Jiraiya finally managed to shake off the pressure that had been forced upon him ever since Orochimaru's unwelcome appearance in the Forest of Death. He was well aware that Homura and Koharu had every reason to be neurotic but their ceaseless attempts to enforce order at his expense had sorely tested him. Not to mention that they didn't know Orochimaru – not like Jiraiya did.

The musical laughter of the voluptuous women he so admired dulled to nothing more than background noise as Jiraiya's thoughts grew ominously dark. The council was in chaos after Orochimaru had showed his face – no one could blame them. More than anyone, Jiraiya knew that his old teammate was not the type to be homesick. He had tirelessly followed Orochimaru's movements for years and could aptly deduce what he had returned for. After all, the bastard had sworn revenge.

But the Toad Sannin was unsettled by something beyond what he already knew. Jiraiya was certain that Orochimaru valued the Chuunin Exams about as importantly as the lives of his experiment subjects. So why had he interfered? More importantly, what in the world could he want from Uchiha Sasuke?

A fresh wave of giggles and splashes over the wall finally broke Jiraiya out of his troubled thoughts. His grimace instantly morphed into a dreamy grin. How was he expected to concentrate with such _distractions_ around?

"Hehe, here I come, ladies!" he giggled, turning back to the peephole. The glorious sight was sadly nullified by the low resolution his naked eye could offer. Jiraiya had been meaning to replace his Pervert's Essential Tool for a while now but could never bring himself to walk off and buy one when he needed it.

"Damn, can't see properly… stupid steam," he grumbled. _Maybe I should give them a little… breeze…_ Jiraiya unsuccessfully tried to stifle another round of high-pitched giggles as he discreetly began to form one-handed seals.

"I knew I'd find you here, Ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya jumped as he was rudely jolted out of his fantasies. And when an S-ranked shinobi was jumped – especially when in the process of performing a jutsu… well.

A spontaneous gust of wind swept through the bathhouse, whipping up startled shrieks all around. Although the men weathered it well, the same could not be said for the women.

"God, it's so cold all of a sudden…!"

"All the steam-"

"-catch a cold-"

Jiraiya choked as splashes filled the air again – splashes of his wonderful ladies leaving the spring. "No, don't go! Come back…!" he moaned. His knees despairingly hit the floor when he saw that his haven had been abandoned.

"Oi, Ero-sennin! Are you listening? I want-"

"_I_ want my ladies back! Look what you've done!" Jiraiya snapped at the owner of the fatally loud voice.

Naruto blinked. "Eh?"

Just looking at the kid's clueless expression was enough to make Jiraiya sigh. "It's useless. A kid like you wouldn't understand." With one last, forlorn look towards the women's spa, he began to slouch towards the exit.

Naruto scowled. He'd spent an hour scouring the village for this kind of greeting? No way. He quickly fell into pace beside the white-haired man.

"Whaddya want, baka-gaki?" Jiraiya grumbled.

The unappreciated nickname almost sparked one of Naruto's signature outbursts. But he quenched it. Asking for a favour was not something a prideful person like Naruto was accustomed to, and he'd had time to consider his decision while searching for Jiraiya. He always wound back to the same conclusion: this was the guy. He may or may not be the teacher Kurenai had been hinting toward, but Naruto was convinced that he could not go wrong with choosing Jiraiya.

Naruto was still pondering how to broach the topic when they emerged into one of the main streets. Jiraiya cast a glance in his direction. He appreciated Naruto's tact but he was still short on patience after the episode with the council. "Out with it already."

"Well… you know how you were showing me some Katon tricks a while ago? At the lake?"

"Mm."

"They really helped me."

"Is that so?" Jiraiya yawned disinterestedly. It was nothing more than a professional façade; his eyes were sharp with interest.

Naruto nodded. "You're a Legendary Salami, right?"

There was a painful grinding of teeth. "_Sannin._"

"That. So you're strong?"

"Of course."

At last, Naruto decided to cut the chase. He inhaled a deep breath. "I need someone to overlook my training. For the third exam."

Jiraiya hid a smirk. "Now we're getting somewhere. But tell me; why should a great sage like me bother to teach an ungrateful runt like you?"

Naruto was less discreet at expressing his triumph. Hook, line and sinker.

"Why wouldn't you?"

Jiraiya paused when a dark thin cylinder was dangled before his nose. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why it was so awfully familiar. By the time he finally recognised it and made a wild snatch, Naruto had already pulled it away and skipped to a safe distance. He grinned mischievously. "Well?"

"You thief!"

"Hey, not my fault you didn't ask for it back."

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "You can't bribe me. It's useless to you."

"Not really. It's thanks to this baby that I passed the first exam."

That ignited another spark of interest. The Sannin had been wondering for a while now what methods Naruto had employed to pass Morino Ibiki's test. "I'm curious. How?"

Although slightly wary of the sudden enthusiasm, Naruto could not refuse an audience. Jiraiya settled comfortably against a lamp post as Naruto engagingly retold his ingenious scheme. He was more than just amused – he was well and truly impressed. He'd had a feeling Yuuhi Kurenai would pass Naruto's tutelage to him at this point, but he hadn't considered that she would leave the decision to Naruto himself. In many ways, this was the most favourable alternative Jiraiya could have asked for. He was finally starting to see the kind of person that Uzumaki Naruto had grown into.

Sarutobi was right; he had clearly matured. His Academy reports spoke nothing of the tactical dexterity the boy was showcasing. Naruto's natural ability to instantly adapt to his environment could only be harnessed to its full potential with proficient strategical knowledge – and his sensei had obviously enforced that. In his preliminary match, Jiraiya had taken notice of his taijutsu form and ninjutsu arsenal, and he was both pleased and surprised to find that they had been carefully developed.

As Naruto finished his recount, Jiraiya could almost hear Yuuhi Kurenai's voice: _I've done my part; now it's your turn._

"So…" Naruto said tentatively, "will you train me?"

Jiraiya pretended to consider. "Oh, I don't know. You always scare away my ladies and-"

"I know, I know!" Naruto interrupted, taking the Sannin by surprise. "I know we're practically strangers and I know I've ruined your fun every single time we've met. And I… I understand that you might not want to teach me for other reasons…"

Of the many revelations regarding Naruto that Jiraiya had stumbled upon, this was by far the most illuminating. And disappointing. _Looks like things really didn't turn out the way you wanted them to, Minato. _Jiraiya wondered how many people had looked beneath Naruto's exterior and found a faltering child shadowed by a village's abhorrence. His eyes softened.

Naruto studied a crack in the pavement, red-faced. He hadn't meant to lose his composure like that. It hadn't occurred to him how harshly he took rejection sometimes, and how desperate he was to protect himself from it. He sighed quietly to himself. The good impression he'd tried to impose was ruined now.

He was about to walk away while he could when an outstretched arm cut across him, palm open.

"Hand it over," Jiraiya grunted.

Naruto's face lit up instantly. He spun on the balls of his feet and grinned widely at Jiraiya. "Does that mean…?"

"Quick, or I'll change my – o-oi! Don't throw it around like that!"

Naruto ignored the fact that he had just spent a Legendary Sannin sprawling to the ground by throwing his prized possession into the air. "So what are you going to teach me? Is it a super powerful jutsu?" he demanded eagerly.

Jiraiya sighed and safely pocketed his monocular before another hyperactive genin could steal it and hold it hostage. He thoughtfully studied Naruto, who fell into a fidgety silence under his gaze. The rumours shrouding the Kazekage's youngest son were not pleasant – especially not since Jiraiya knew them to be true. An average genin wouldn't last three minutes.

But then again, it was a downright violation of nature to call Uzumaki Naruto 'just average'.

Chuckling to himself, Jiraiya turned away. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Being my apprentice is tough, you know. For starters, learn to stop interrupting me when I'm doing research."

"It's your own fault for peeping," Naruto said guiltlessly. Then he suddenly realised something: "Hey! I haven't even introduced myself!"

"I know who you are, boy," Jiraiya murmured, too low for the genin to hear.

Naruto slapped a hand to his chest. "Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage!" He thought back to Sakura's offhanded comment of his ambition, and his grin widened impossibly. She didn't know that it mattered, but it did.

"Don't fall behind, Hokage-sama," Jiraiya called over his shoulder, already several blocks ahead.

_I'll get him for that_, Naruto thought as he ran to catch up. "That means I should call you… Ero-sensei!"

Jiraiya stopped in his tracks so abruptly that Naruto would have collided into his broad back without the awareness Kurenai had drilled into him. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing…" Jiraiya shook his head, betraying a small, fond smile. "You just reminded me of an old student of mine."

* * *

At five in the morning, Sakura found herself wide awake without any notion to fall back asleep. She levered herself up on an elbow and parted the curtains, allowing a sliver of grey light into the room. It was nearing winter and both the sun and village woke slowly these days. All Sakura had been doing for the past five days was rest, and now her restless body would tolerate it no longer. With a sigh she let herself fall back onto the bed.

She lay thoughtlessly until she heard her parents begin to wake. Hearing footsteps, she hastily pulled the covers over her body and pretended to be asleep. The door opened moments later. Sakura could tell it was her father this time; he didn't linger for as long as her mother did. She waited until she heard him descending the stairs before allowing herself a soft sigh. She was getting tired of this.

Her parents had been excessively anxious ever since Sakura had returned from the second exam limping and favouring her ribs. She had expected it to be a passing phase but almost a week later they were still hovering by her shoulder. They had never approved of her becoming a ninja and this only gave them more fuel to burn. It was like they had only viewed the career as a childish game and hadn't realised how serious it was until their daughter had come home with battle scars. It became more stifling day by day, to the point where Sakura, for the first time, almost threw up an argument with her parents.

It was hard to blame them, though. Sakura had to admit that the Chuunin Exams had been terrifying – but she couldn't explain to her parents that it had also been thrilling. She felt wiser, her sights open not only to the village she had grown up in, but extending to the life beyond that awaited her as a kunoichi.

Sakura's hand tingled upon remembering the events of the exam. She raised it into the air, eyes becoming unfocused as she remembered the crunch of cartilage when she had broken Sasuke's nose.

"_You're annoying, Haruno…"_

Abruptly, Sakura closed her hand into a tight fist and sat up. She gave her head a shake, forcing herself to admit that she was relieved by the turnout. It felt like she had hit a milestone. She no longer saw Sasuke as a goal to meet; she wanted to exceed him.

Feeling light, she rose from bed and opened the window. She inhaled the invigorating morning air, and smiled. Today was a new day, after all.

Her mother was just putting on her apron when she went downstairs. "Oh, you're awake. I'm about to make breakfast."

Sakura rubbed her eyes, pretending to have just woken. "Where's Dad?"

"Bathroom. Say, Sakura…" The girl looked up to see her mother wiping her hands and tugging a piece of paper off the fridge. "Do you mind doing some grocery shopping after breakfast? I was hoping to stop by at the bathhouse with Yamada-san; with any luck we won't have another hurricane."

Sakura accepted the list and money with a nod, and turned away biting her lip. Her mother was so transparent. Did she really think there was hope of converting her daughter to a regular girl in the month that she was excused from ninja duties? Now more than ever, it was painful to realise that her own parents frowned upon her aspiration.

Sakura's mouth tightened. She left the house without a word. She heard her mother calling after her as the door closed, and ran without second thought.

Two streets later, she released another sigh – already her third. She regretted her outburst already. Starting off on the wrong foot with her family _and_ skipping breakfast was not the therapy she needed. It was just – she couldn't stand how helpless she felt. The Forest of Death had helped her realise how much harder she needed to work. On top of that, she had to deal with uncooperative parents who not only neglected to offer encouragement but instead chose to rub salt in the wound.

Remembering the grocery list still clenched in her hand, Sakura resisted the urge to sigh once more. She breathed deeply a few times to clear her head, then smoothed out the creases on the paper and headed down to the marketplace.

Her mother hadn't written a very comprehensive list, obviously intending to use it as no more than an excuse. Sakura tossed it into the bin after a quick check to confirm that she had everything. She glanced up at the sky; less than an hour had passed. She grimaced. Did she want to return and confront her mother so soon?

Before she could make up her mind, her legs were already carrying her toward Tanaka Noboru's grocery shop. _I guess that's a no_, Sakura thought, hiding a smile.

Surprisingly, Tanaka was not sitting behind the counter today. Instead, Sakura's eyes fell on a breathtaking young woman with long lavender hair. As if she could sense Sakura's candid stare, the woman looked up from the book she was reading. "Can I help you?" she asked.

Sakura flushed with embarrassment – how had she allowed herself to be caught staring? "A-ano… doesn't Tanaka-san usually run the shop?"

"He does, but I don't know where he is at the moment. The stand was unmanned when I arrived."

"Oh, I see…" Sakura tried to act casual as she leaned over and inspected some grapes. She couldn't stop glancing back at the mysterious storekeeper and wondering how she was related to Tanaka.

Could she be… his wife?

Sakura had to choke on a gasp to prevent it from leaving her lips. Had she stumbled on the answer? But there was no way she was older than twenty-five and Tanaka-san… well, he wasn't _old_ – but there had to be at least a ten year difference between their ages. Vaguely, Sakura was aware that ten years was not a disastrous difference – _But still_, the adolescent girl inside her persisted. It had been too long since she'd had to entertain such 'normal' thoughts, and she was easily astounded.

The surprise dulled her attentiveness so Sakura did not realise that the woman was looking at her until she spoke. "You're Haruno Sakura-san, aren't you?"

Sakura's marital analysis was blindsided by astonishment. Somewhat warily, she nodded.

The woman offered a small smile. "I was one of the ANBU overlooking the preliminary matches in the Chuunin second exam. My name is Uzuki Yuugao." She paused, giving Sakura time to digest the fact that Tanaka's wife was both stunning and an _ANBU_. "You fought very well."

"Um, thank you… Uzuki-san." Sakura bowed her head, a little flustered. She noticed that there was an impartial tone in Uzuki Yuugao's praise; she spoke it like a fact. For some reason, Yuugao attracted Sakura's respect like a moth to candlelight. Already, the genin envisioned the older woman as the sort of person she wanted to grow into.

Yuugao stood, looking down the street. "Here he comes." Sakura turned and quickly spotted Tanaka's tall figure and slight limp. Yuugao was unquestionably an ANBU if she had sensed his presence that easily.

"You left the shop again," she said disapprovingly when Tanaka approached.

He waved it off. "It was just for a few minutes. You didn't think I would leave unprepared, did you? By the way, you broke my protective seals again."

Yuugao rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I meant."

"You expect me to admit that I was slacking off? No way," he grinned.

Sakura felt intrusive of the friendly moment. She hadn't witnessed this light-hearted side of Tanaka before; he seemed glad that Yuugao had stopped by. Maybe now was a good time to leave. But just as she was trying to figure out how to discreetly blend into the crowd, her shinobi alarm went off and she pivoted, snatching the unidentified object from the air before it could knock off a few hundred of her brain cells. Sakura opened her hand and blinked; it was an apple.

"You're getting better at this," Tanaka chuckled. He easefully nudged a loaded crate aside with his wooden leg to allow himself behind the counter. Yuugao moved aside so that he could sit in his usual spot. "And what do I owe for this rare visit, Yuu-chan?"

Yuugao's lip twitched. "One day, I will annihilate you for calling me that," she promised calmly.

"Great! Make it today. It's been ages since we last sparred."

Yuugao paused thoughtfully. She slowly closed her book – and slapped the side of Tanaka's head with it. "You wish, Nii-san."

Sakura's eyes grew to the size of coins. … _Nii-san?! _

At that moment Yuugao turned and smiled at the dumbfounded genin. It was an intense challenge of Sakura's composure not to assume the shade of a ripe tomato – Yuugao had known all along. To her extreme mortification, Tanaka took one look at the two of them and his puzzled expression immediately transformed into one of unsuppressed delight. _I hope you're hungry, ground_, Sakura thought.

Thankfully the siblings were nothing more than amused. "I'm sorry," Yuugao said lightly, a smile dancing in her eyes. "It's been a while since I visited my brother and had someone misunderstand. I missed seeing that reaction."

"Everyone in the market thought the same as you did when they saw Yuugao with me for the first time," Tanaka chortled. His shoulder heaved with mirth. "But back then she was nothing more than a gaki! They thought I was a cradle snatcher." At that, he threw his head back and let out a loud laugh.

"Oh, cut it out, Tanaka," the vendor selling fish across the street chuckled. "Yuu-chan was obviously too good for you."

Yuugao smiled weakly.

Sakura was curious. "But your last names are different."

"I made a lot of enemies back when I was still on active duty. I spread a rumour that Tanaka was my real name to protect my sister." Tanaka smiled faintly and tilted his head slightly toward the sky. "Wish I'd done it sooner."

When Yuugao fell into silence as well, Sakura knew that tragedy had befallen their family. She regretted bringing it up and tried to change the topic. "Is that a book on medical jutsu, Uzuki-san?" she asked hastily, motioning to the book she had been reading.

"Yuugao is fine," the ANBU operative said. Sakura summoned a humble smile. "And yes it is. I came with a stack of them to return but somehow ended up babysitting the store for my brother." She gave Tanaka a pointed look.

He ignored it skilfully, instead thumbing through a pile of books sitting on a crate behind him. "Did they have what you needed?" Yuugao nodded. He sighed. "You couldn't have taken them home? Now I have to carry them."

"I have to return to duty soon. Don't complain." Sakura was amused by the authority Yuugao wielded over her brother, and wondered if someone like Tanaka could have a sister complex.

Tanaka began to grin. "Oh, I know. Hey, Sakura."

She stiffened, nervous that her thoughts had been read again. "Yes?"

"Do you like to read?"

"Yes…?"

"Good." He shuffled through the collection and pulled out two books. He thrust them toward her. "Here you go."

She hesitantly accepted them.

"You can borrow them for as long as you want. They're on the basics of medical jutsu. Maybe you'll like them. I remember you had good chakra control."

It couldn't hurt, she grudgingly decided. Unlike her teammates, she did not have intensive training to undergo. Some light reading could be healthy for her. Perhaps seeing her resume an old hobby would somehow assure her parents and set them off her case. She smiled. "Thank you," she said to Tanaka. "I'll be sure to read them. Medical jutsu seems useful."

Yuugao looked at her. "How important is your team to you?"

Sakura looked into Yuugao's deep eyes. Without truly comprehending her own words, she said, "Sometimes I feel that they are the only ones who know me."

"Then you will find medical jutsu very useful."

* * *

For the umpteenth time that day, Kiba hurtled himself at the stubborn wall Tsume's Doton had conjured. He began to furiously gyrate to the maximum extent his body would allow, and felt confidence well up inside him. He'd never managed to spin this rapidly before. Maybe he'd be able to nail it this time.

But moments from impact, Akamaru gave a start. _It's not enough!_

Kiba reached for more chakra, but only scraped the bottom of his reserves. He cursed as he plowed into the barrier, losing control of the transformation. Debris and chunks of heavy concrete rained down. Kiba made a blind grab for Akamaru and secured the canine to his chest. Gritting his teeth, he thrust an arm out, fingertips fused with the last remains of his chakra, and managed to stall his free-fall long enough for him to plant his feet on the face of the wall and propel himself away from the dangerous shower.

Hana moved forward to break her brother's fall. Too late, she realised that he was travelling much faster than she had anticipated – too fast. The air was knocked out of her as Kiba collided into her, sending both of them sprawling and coughing on dust.

"Oops…" Kiba shakily blinked away sweat, dirt and blood. He was bleeding from the scalp, a shallow injury compared to the ones he had accumulated in the beginning. Inuzuka clansmen did not take training lightly.

Of course, it helped to have a medic-nin on hand, even if said kunoichi was technically trained to treat animals. _Not a big difference_, Hana thought to herself. She pushed Kiba off her. "Fatty."

He sank back onto her lap, grinning wearily. "Yeah, that's why you're so comfortable."

Hana let it drop. The repetitive bicker was one of the many things she had grown exasperated of during the training session, second only to catching Kiba after each of his failures. At least he was improving and making progress. Smiling to herself, Hana placed her palm on her brother's head and began to heal him.

Tsume, the other spectator, approached her children after inspecting the damage to the barrier. Kiba cracked open an eye at the sound of her footsteps. "Twenty percent," she said in answer to his expectant expression. He groaned, too worn out for words.

"Did you expect it to be a piece of cake?" Hana chuckled, moving on to treat Akamaru. The puppy melted under her touch. She stroked his fur fondly. One of her dogs trotted over and licked the top of the smaller dog's head. "I think that's their limit, Mom."

"Let's stop here, Kiba," Tsume agreed.

Despite the aching of every joint, Kiba pushed himself up and looked up at his mother. "But I want to have it ready in time for the matches!"

Tsume regarded her son. He had changed since becoming a genin. He was much more willing to learn and hard-pressed to improve. His determination was reminiscent of his father. The thought brought a tender smile to Tsume's face. Regardless, she had to draw the line somewhere.

She leaned over and flicked Kiba's nose, much to his discontent. "Don't get ahead of yourself, mutt. This isn't supposed to be easy, and it's not like you can't fight without it."

The upturned nose told her Kiba was not satisfied.

"You're still a kid, Kiba. You have plenty of time." Tsume paused. "Another thing: I prohibit you from using this jutsu in the tournament unless I say you're ready." Hana expertly smothered Kiba's attempt to protest. Suppressing a grin, Tsume went on. "A half-assed attempt is as good as a failed one. It'll leave you in a mess. In any case, the elders won't look too kindly if they think you're embarrassing the clan."

Kiba's eyes lowered. Hana released him once their mother had retreated into the compound, and gave him a curious look when he remained silent. It didn't escape her notice that he had grown more sensitive to the circumstances. Watching her baby brother slowly mature entertained Hana greatly, even if it occasionally backfired on her.

They moved to sit on the porch. The dogs scrambled off to play. Hana watched the sun set and light her village with an ethereal glow. She nudged Kiba after a long moment of companionable silence. "Why so quiet?"

"Just thinking," he mumbled.

Looking at her brother, Hana remembered her own daunting experience of the third exam. "People will be watching you, because you're a representative of the Inuzuka," she told him casually. He shrugged, but the gesture itself was drawn in tight. Hana put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to her side. In quiet voice that immediately silenced his indignant protest, she said, "But it doesn't matter, you know. You don't need to think about them. That's what Mom told me. Fight for yourself; you'll regret it if you don't." She gave him a gentle squeeze. "Okay?"

Kiba stared at her, nodding only after a long moment. "What's with this all of a sudden?" he asked sceptically.

"What, I'm not allowed to sound wise?" Flashing a grin, Hana rose to her feet. "I'm going to start making dinner. Come inside when you're ready."

It began to get chilly as the sky darkened. After some time Akamaru returned to his master's side and curled up for a nap. Kiba lay back on the wooden floor and gazed up at the sky, watching the first star come out.

"I wonder how those two are doing…"

* * *

It had been so long that Sakura had forgotten how pleasurable reading outdoors could be. She sat on a bench overlooking the water channel and bridge, flipping through one of the books Tanaka had lent her. She'd had more than enough leisure time to be a bookworm, and after finishing the first book she had developed a slight interest toward medical jutsu.

She discovered therapeutical uses for everyday plants that she'd thought were simply for decoration. There were different ways of binding a wound, each for a specific purpose. Sometimes you had to reopen a wound to let it heal. This typical background knowledge was intriguing, but Sakura found that she was much more deeply engrossed in the second book – for this one contained details of jutsu.

"Mystical Palm," she murmured, reading up on a technique that was considered standard for medical ninjutsu. It involved the healer sending their chakra into the patient's body to target injuries and speed up recovery. As Sakura read on, she began to understand why Tanaka had said she was a good medic-nin candidate; precise chakra control was required to ensure that the amount of chakra expended corresponded to the severity of the wound. Otherwise, an overload of foreign chakra could render the patient comatose.

Sakura itched to try the technique. She was only curious and as far as the technique went, the jutsu could be performed without a ready patient. Setting the book aside, she memorised the hand seals and muttered, "Shousen no Jutsu!"

Chakra instantly rushed to her fingertips. Startled, Sakura tried to restrain the flow, but stopped when she noticed a faint emerald glow enveloping her hands. She studied it with pensive fascination. The technique drew on slightly more chakra than she was comfortable with, but she wondered if exerting more would strengthen the jutsu. She was ready to try when a familiar voice interrupted with, "What are you doing, Forehead?"

Sakura jumped as if shocked and hurriedly released the jutsu. "I-Ino," she breathed. She gathered the book and flipped it so that the cover was facing down (though she hadn't yet figured out why she was hiding it). Ino eyed it suspiciously. "Pig," Sakura added after a moment of silence.

That diverted Ino's attention, raising a scowl on her features. To Sakura's surprise, she made no retort. "Heading back to the shop?" the pink-haired girl asked conversationally, noticing the empty delivery basket hanging off Ino's arm.

Ino glanced down as if she had forgotten about it. "Oh. Yeah…"

Sakura cocked her head. She had never seen Ino so… distracted before. Then she realised that she had – when Asuma-sensei had carried a petrified Ino into the infirmary during the preliminary matches. Although there had only been an empty bed between them, Sakura had been too dazed by pain to pay specific attention to her fellow classmate. But now she could, and she did.

"Want to sit?" She patted the spot beside her, and grimaced when Ino fixed her with a stare. She had somehow started to think that parts of their old friendship had been rekindled up in the Exam. Was she wrong?

She watched Ino sit and place the basket by her side. Yes, there was definitely something different about her old friend. For starters, she was too still, too quiet. And too observant. "Quit looking at me like that. Just because you're not as pretty."

_Okay, no, she's still in there._ Ino frowned when Sakura let out a sigh of relief. "You're supposed to get angry," she reminded cautiously.

Sakura hesitated, then realised it was needless. Even now, she never felt awkward or embarrassed around Ino. She was one of the few people Sakura could be straightforward with. "I was worried," she admitted. Her eyes flickered to Ino's. "About you."

She held her breath as Ino's eyes widened. Sakura didn't know why, but she didn't want to start an argument right now. Ever since the Chuunin Exam, she had been feeling like she had transcended her own age, as if she had just signed up for adulthood. She wanted to settle things passively.

Once again, Ino surprised her; this time by laughing softly. "You're the first one who's said that to my face."

Sakura blinked. "What do you mean?"

The blonde girl shrugged, though the tension in her shoulders made the gesture look stiff. "My parents haven't said anything since I was discharged from hospital." Ino paused and Sakura waited, wondering if she was going to be shut out or let in. It turned out to be the latter. "But they _watch_ me. I'm sick of the way they look at me like I'm glass." She glanced at her companion. "You know, right?"

"That parents think they understand but don't? Yeah, I do." Sakura thought of her mother, whose face had brightened when she saw that her daughter had come home with a book. Her expression had gone sour when she saw that it was a book on "that kind of thing".

Ino laughed. "I don't even want to know what's been going on down your end." She tried to sustain the look of amusement as she added, "I was talking about… you know, my match. Why I'm being treated like this."

"Oh… yes, I know that too." They were on such mismatched brainwaves. Sakura was too concerned about what Ino had been mentally enduring on her own to be embarrassed. "What actually happened, Ino?"

The frown deepened as Ino struggled against her inner demons. "I don't know. I saw something inside him and… I don't know _what_ it was – God, I don't _know_!"

Seeing her friend so distressed, Sakura didn't think twice before drawing Ino into a deep embrace. She kept quiet not only because she didn't know what to say, but also because she realised that Ino was facing conflicts far more severe than hers. Her disagreements with her parents suddenly seemed petty, her attitude childish.

It didn't take long for Ino to find herself again. The trembling of her thin frame under Sakura's hands gradually ceased as she heaved in deep, calming breaths. Her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes were clearer when she opened them. Grimly, Sakura realised that she had done this before, many times.

Laughing a little, Ino gave her a sheepish, 'don't-tell-anyone-but-thanks' smile and pulled away. Her hand shook a little when she combed back her hair. "Some things in this world are really screwed up, huh?" she chuckled.

"Ino…"

Ino shook her head, and Sakura knew that it was as far as she would be allowed in. "I'll be alright. It's just… a temporary thing." The way she said it sounded like an uncertain question. She shook her head again before she could dwell on it any longer, and flashed her worried friend a quick smile. "What about you? What has our resident Forehead Queen been getting up to?"

Sakura was reluctant to let Ino shake her off – but what could she do? "Nothing," she said shortly. Because it was true; she _had_ done nothing. She hadn't been training at all. Several times she had thought of approaching Takara for taijutsu lessons, but always ended up turning back because she could not imagine training without Naruto. It began to settle in that she was making excuses for herself, avoiding the reality that sometimes you had to break away from your team and challenge your own limits.

"Pfft, lucky." Ino sighed and sank into the seat, allowing her arm to lean against Sakura's, just a little. "You know, I haven't seen you without your team in a long time. I almost didn't recognise you sitting here by yourself."

Sakura lowered her eyes. "They're training… Yours?"

"Same."

"Even Chouji?"

"He's helping Shikamaru."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence from the two girls as they watched the water ripple and run. Then Ino said softly, "It sucks, doesn't it?"

"What?" Sakura asked needlessly.

Ino gave her a perceptive look. "Being left behind."

* * *

It was getting dark by the time Sakura 'dropped off' Ino at her family's flower shop. Of course, even she would never use that term in front of the blonde girl, but the truth was that Sakura was worried about her friend – anything relating to Gaara of the Desert carried a negative connotation in her subconsciousness. Another undeniable truth was the fact that nothing could heal the mind, and she could only trust that Ino would be able to overcome this on her own terms. Still, Sakura made a mental note to pay regular visits to the Yamanaka's shop.

Although she knew her mother would be preparing dinner around this time, the thought of going home was not appealing. The prospect of having to explain the events of the morning to her mother did not bother Sakura as much as the realisation that she didn't _want_ to go home. She always felt like she should be doing more than just sitting at home, dutifully putting on the face of the civilian daughter her parents wanted to see.

The Chuunin Exam wasn't all that could be blamed for Sakura's discomfiture at home, though. If anything, she was just unaccustomed to it. It came as another surprise to discover that she hadn't spent this much time at home since graduating from the Academy. These days Sakura woke up early in the mornings to meet her team and stayed out late for taijutsu with Yamane Takara. Maybe Ino was right; her team filled up so much of her life, and she had been completely unconscious of it.

Well, not anymore. Sakura pulled Tanaka's book closer to her chest, sighing. She kind of missed Kurenai-sensei and the boys.

"Ne, Sensei, can I have another bowl?"

_Great_, thought Sakura, _it's so bad I'm hearing Naruto in my head._

"Quick as ever, I see. Finish those vegetables first."

"Hai!"

Sakura suddenly stopped and blinked. Her nose detected a very familiar scent in the air; it smelt of spring onions, miso soup and hours of banter and laughter. Turning, she wondered how in the world she had managed to obliviously walk right past Ichiraku Ramen.

Curiously, she lifted the fabric eaves and poked her head inside.

"Hey, she came!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura stared at him. The sight of her teammate bouncing in his seat with a stack of empty bowls beside him brought up such confusing nostalgia in her chest that all she could muster was "Huh?"

Kurenai moved across one seat and gestured for her student to sit. "I sensed you down the street and Naruto wanted to see if you would stop by," she explained, and Sakura was warmed by the familiar amusement in her mentor's eyes.

"I only came in because I heard you being a loudspeaker," she said to Naruto. When he grinned, she couldn't help but return a smile. She looked around. "Kiba and Akamaru aren't here?"

"Nope, we'll drag them another time. Stupid Ero-sennin went off… uhh," Naruto glanced cautiously in Kurenai's direction, "to do research! Yeah, so he left me there and I was hungry. Then I ran into Kurenai-sensei and we came here. I went to your house but it didn't look like you were inside," he added quickly, as if afraid that she would be upset.

"That's because I wasn't," she assured him.

"Are your parents expecting you home for dinner, Sakura?" Kurenai asked.

"Umm… kind of." Sakura felt like kicking herself. _What sort of answer was that?!_

Kurenai silently surveyed the girl over her cup of tea. She had been meaning to check up on Sakura for days now, but hadn't been able to make time for a visit between the consecutive assemblies she had received from the Hokage. With the Chuunin tournament approaching, many arrangements had to be made to accommodate for the representatives of the allied villages that would attend – and this year, the Kazekage himself would be present. Kurenai and the other jounin had been busy carrying out those arrangements.

Watching Sakura now, though, Kurenai began to wish that she had persisted in keeping contact with her student. Whatever had happened throughout the past week had done a number on Sakura. Her façade was convincing enough to fool Naruto, but not a genjutsu specialist. Kurenai had seen confusion and traces of frustration wearing on the genin when she had arrived. They had visibly lessened now, but Kurenai's inquiry had caused them to resurface.

"Would you like to order, then? It's my treat." The bright, grateful expression that dawned on Sakura's face at her sensei's words only affirmed Kurenai's observations: for whatever reasons, Sakura was reluctant to return home.

Naruto couldn't stop grinning. Tonight was a good night. Jiraiya hardly qualified as company. He may be a reputable ninja but he was a very flighty teacher. He would set Naruto to work, then run off to spy on girls. Being with his team was a much more pleasurable experience. _Too bad Kiba's missing_, he mused. The other boy was unquestionably locked up in his clan's compound, training hard. Naruto ate faster, determined not to be outshone.

"Mou, don't you ever learn?" Sakura sighed when he choked. Already a professional by this point, two quick thumps on the back did the trick.

Naruto coughed out his gratitude. Still hunched over, he found his nose inches from the book Sakura had brought with her. Curious, he tilted his head to better read the title. "_Comprehensive Beginners Guide to_… what's that word mean?"

Kurenai raised her head and glimpsed the cover. "Are you interested in medical jutsu, Sakura?"

"A little," she replied distractedly; her ramen had just arrived. "Tanaka-san insisted on lending me some books."

"… Who?"

Kurenai was better informed than Naruto. "Tanaka Noboru?"

"Hai. He knows you, Sensei."

"I used to practice medical jutsu under him when I was a genin. I'm surprised you're acquainted with him, Sakura."

After a quick explanation and realisation from Naruto ("Oh, so he's the weird grocer with the lollies.") Sakura finally registered what Kurenai had said. "You know medical jutsu too?"

"Only the basics. One of my… teammates tended to injure himself during training. I would treat his wounds." Kurenai fought back memories of Masuru by pouring herself another cup of tea. She grew steadily quieter as her thoughts became clouded, until she felt it was best she had a few moments to herself. She had no doubts that Naruto and Sakura would prefer to remain longer.

"Kurenai-sensei, you're leaving?" Naruto asked when she got up.

"I have a few things to do. You two shouldn't stay out too late either. Naruto, you're only allowed two more bowls." Kurenai paid the bill and gently patted her students' shoulders. "Goodnight."

"I feel so sorry for Sensei, having to pay for you," Sakura teased Naruto.

He stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm just making up for you. Why are you eating so little today anyway?"

"I'm… not that hungry, I guess. How's your training? You found a teacher, didn't you?"

Naruto's brow furrowed slightly; this was the second question Sakura had avoided tonight. Something was amiss. He was about to bring it up when it occurred to him that Kurenai should have picked up on Sakura's strange behaviour, too. If she hadn't seen the need to mention it then it was safe to assume that she had her reasons. Naruto also knew that, occasionally, people needed to keep to themselves. He decided to let it be.

"You remember Ero-sennin, right? He was really helpful when I was practicing Goukakyuu no Jutsu. Kurenai-sensei said I made a good choice. He's really lazy though. And he keeps making me… err, entertain him." Before Sakura could ask _how_, Naruto hastily moved on. "The jutsu he's teaching me is so cool, Sakura-chan. Well, I can't do it yet – but it looked awesome when he showed me. He put a great big hole in a tree!"

Sakura smiled at his usual enthusiasm. If Kiba were here he would immediately press for more details, but since the Inuzuka was absent and the excited gleam in Naruto's eyes told her he wanted to spill, she obligingly said, "That's got to be a really powerful jutsu, huh? What have you learned?"

"Here's the thing – the kind of training Ero-sennin makes me do isn't exciting at all. He makes me do funny things like pop water balloons with my chakra. Apparently, they're steps to performing the jutsu itself. I got the hang of the first step pretty quickly so now I'm up to _this_." Naruto reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small ball. Sakura leaned forward but no matter which way she looked at it, it was just a regular rubber ball that you could get cheaply at a toy store.

"Let me guess – you have to pop this?"

Naruto nodded. "It's actually really hard. It's been killing me for days."

Weighing the ball in her hand, Sakura mused, "Well, it's sturdier than a balloon, of course. How did you pop the balloon?"

He grinned. "At first I was just using my chakra to swirl the water inside really quickly but it wouldn't pop. Then I figured out that you had to spin it in _lots_ of directions at the same time." The triumph was replaced by a frown as Naruto glared at the rubber ball. "I tried to do the same thing on this one but it's not enough… I bet there's a trick hidden somewhere."

Thoughtfully, Sakura placed the ball in her right hand, and pushed chakra out the tenketsu points on her palm. She pictured the rapid rotation Naruto had described, envisioning it as a spherical vortex. The skin stretched a little, wriggling like a handful of worms, then settled again. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura tried again, this time summoning more chakra. She realised that the rubber partially absorbed the flow, and knew that the completed jutsu would require much more chakra than the medical jutsu she had attempted earlier.

Naruto watched Sakura's frown deepen, and knew that she was forcibly expelling more chakra. Despite her brilliant control, he doubted she would be able to burst it; after all, he had many times more chakra than her and _he_ hadn't succeeded. When he saw her wince, he immediately pulled the ball away from her grasp.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" He hovered over her, concerned that she had burned her chakra coils.

She took a moment to recover, and then smiled sheepishly. "Guess it really isn't that easy."

He sat back down, relieved. "I'm going to master it soon, though! You watch me win the tournament with this jutsu."

"Kiba's no pushover," Sakura reminded him. In a softer voice, she added, "Nor is Gaara."

Naruto paused. It seemed that no matter what he did, his friends would still be worried for him. He'd already promised to be careful but now, more than ever, he was determined to defeat Gaara. Because if he lost, Kiba would become the Sand-nin's opponent and Naruto, selfishly, did not want to be the one clinging to the rail throughout the match, barely breathing.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, eat up," he said cheerfully, turning her back to their meal. He transferred several slices of kamaboko to her bowl, well aware that Sakura had an incurable craving for them.

"Are you trying to make me fat?" she retorted light-heartedly.

Naruto waited until she had starting eating again before he smiled and, in a gentle voice, said, "Everything will work out, Sakura. I'll make sure it does."

She looked up, meeting his eyes. "Believe it?" she asked, the corner of her lips tugging into a smile.

Naruto stared at her. Then he laughed. "Believe it!"

* * *

Standing outside the door to her house, Sakura vaguely regretted staying at Ichiraku's. Dinnertime was surely over and she had missed it without a valid excuse on hand. Coupling this offense with missing _breakfast_ in the morning… Okay, it was bad.

The sighs returned as Sakura wearily stuck her key into the knob and let herself in. The quiet atmosphere intimidated her already. Tasting the lingering scent of baked fish in the air, Sakura peeked into the kitchen. Her mother was washing the dishes, her father drinking tea.

"Tadaima," she announced quietly. Despite everything, she felt like time had wound her back to Academy days and the time she had stayed out late rolling down hills with Ino. The same guilt and apprehension settled on her conscience, even as Sakura assured herself that a genin was technically no longer considered a child.

Her father looked up, habitually glancing at the wall clock. "Okaeri, Sakura." He didn't sound upset with her – but Sakura already knew that her mother would be the most difficult.

"I'm sorry I missed dinner. I-"

"Your teacher told us you were eating with your teammate," her father told her. Sakura gawked. "The Uzumaki kid, was it?"

"Yes…" Sakura was too confused and generally flabbergasted to register the uncomfortable frown on her parent's face. "Wait – Kurenai-sensei came? Here? Why?"

"She said she wanted to meet us." Sakura spun to face her mother, who was wiping her hands on a cloth.

Inside Sakura's mind, her thoughts were churning so quickly that it was dizzying. She had always thought of her family and genin team as two separate forces, two different parts of her life that she would have to deal with independently. But _Kurenai-sensei_ had met her _parents._ It was too mind-boggling.

"She only wanted to meet you? That was it?" she heard herself ask.

A familiar tone of exasperated patience seeped into her mother's voice. "_Yes_, Sakura. What are you expecting?"

"I don't know…" Come to think of it, it wasn't like Kurenai would fail to make her student aware that she had done something reckless that needed to be discussed with her family. _So I'm not in trouble_, Sakura deduced. _But why did Sensei…_

A long, somewhat awkward moment of silence fell over the kitchen. Sakura couldn't ever remember feeling so self-conscious around her own family when she had been younger, but lately these uncomfortable lapses seemed to constitute half of her conversations with her parents. Their disagreement over her career had grown so pungent that it was like an unavoidable storm over their heads.

"So," her mother said quietly, "when are you going to start training again?"

Sakura's head snapped up. Her _mother_ was asking her when she was going to _train_? Sakura was dubious.

"Your sensei wanted us to let you know that she could resume training you whenever you are ready," her father explained. He had always been the calmer and more observant of Sakura's parents.

"And you're… okay… with that?" Sakura asked tentatively.

Her mother gave her a look. "You know we never liked the idea of you being a ninja, Sakura. Nothing has changed."

"Oh…" Sakura's hand closed around the rubber ball she had convinced Naruto to let her take home, the pressure accumulating until she felt it was ready to burst. Grimacing, she loosened her grip and turned away. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Her father's chair scraped against the tiles as he got up, but it was the sharp voice of her mother that froze her in place. "You're walking away again, Sakura?"

_What do you want me to do then?_ Sakura almost burst out. Almost. If only Naruto's words hadn't stayed with her since Ichiraku's, and surfaced when she needed to hear them the most.

"_Everything will work out, Sakura. I'll make sure it does."_

That idiot… making promises so readily. She believed him, believed that he could stand up to Gaara, believed that Team Eight could pull through in the end. After all, Naruto had never broken a promise before.

But Sakura realised that she couldn't let Naruto shoulder all of it and take care of her. He _couldn't_ unite her family. It was her problem alone, and the only way it was going to be resolved was if Sakura herself was willing to face it. There were some things that had to be done alone.

Back still turned, Sakura channelled Ino and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "I don't want to argue, that's all," she responded quietly. Gathering more courage, she added, "I don't care if you don't support me, Mother, but I'm not going to give up being a ninja. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is."

She looked over her shoulder, biting her lip. "This is what I want. It's part of who I am now. And I…" She fought back the stinging sensation in her eyes and valiantly squared her shoulders. "I can't… I _won't_ let you change that."

_So there_, she felt like adding childishly. Because all of a sudden Sakura felt lighter, the painstaking words lifted off her chest. At the same time, a certain weight bore down on her; the weight of growing up and standing on her own. She kind of liked the feeling.

However, her self-satisfaction did not come without a price, and she knew it. By drawing a distinct line between herself and her parents, she had broken away from the ideal daughter that they expected her to be. And now only they could decide where she stood in the family. Perhaps not at all.

Her father, clearly perceptive to the tides of tension, looked toward his wife, who stood riveted by the sink. "Midori…" he murmured. There was an appealing edge in his voice.

Volunteering for a year of garbage duty was probably more attractive to Sakura than meeting her mother's eyes. She had inherited her parent's eyes, and looking into her mother's gaze was like staring into a mirror. Now she understood what her father meant when he called their similar expressions 'penetrating'.

Sakura waited.

After what felt like years, her mother finally spoke. "Your sensei told us that you are a good student; very talented. You fought against the top graduate of your class in the exam. She said you fought well." She paused, and her eyes flickered. "But you still came home all beaten up."

"Mom-" She wasn't allowed to finish.

"I just want to hear one thing from you, Sakura." Haruno Midori stared hard at her only child, the daughter she had raised into the fiery young woman standing before her. Kami sure had a sense of humour. "Are you happy?"

Sakura searched her mother's eyes, finding the warm tenderness that she recognised from her childhood. Blinking back tears that she didn't realise had entered her eyes, she swallowed and said, "Yes… Yes. I love my team. I love being a shinobi of Konohagakure."

Out of her peripheral vision, she saw her father lower his head, smiling at the table. But it was her mother she was watching – her mother who simply nodded and turned back to the sink.

"Well," she said shortly. "I told you nothing has changed, Sakura… You've never let anything get in the way of what you wanted…" Her voice trailed off, and Sakura knew it was over even before her mother said, "Why are you just sitting there, Kazuo? Get the watermelon out for dessert."

"Right away, Master."

Sakura stepped forward to help but felt herself pulling back. "Mom, Dad, I need to go somewhere," she said hurriedly, feeling as if her heart would rupture if she didn't leave _now_. "I'll be back soon!"

Just before scrambling off, she glanced carefully toward her mother. Sensing her daughter's gaze, the woman just said, "Do what you want." But she turned her head slightly and graced Sakura with the barest of smiles.

"Hai!" Sakura shouted exuberantly, and was flying down the street a second later.

Leaping to the rooftops, she felt something wet on her cheeks. Sakura began to laugh to herself – _at_ herself. She shot over three houses in one bound, tasting the sweet freedom that she had taken for granted.

She was breathless by the time she arrived at Kurenai's house. She didn't even need to knock – her mentor opened the door as if she had been waiting, smiling with amusement. She led her student toward the couches, but Sakura reached for her arm and didn't let go.

"K-Kurenai-sensei," she said, gasping for breath. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything," Kurenai said innocently.

"You did," Sakura corrected. "You did so much. Thank you."

The jounin waited until the girl had caught her breath. "Is everything alright now?" she asked, and smiled.

Sakura nodded, her face shining. Kurenai wiped away specks of tears. "Would you like to train with me while Kiba and Naruto prepare for the third exam?"

Kurenai had clearly been preparing for her. Sakura listened to her teacher and her intention to focus primarily on her genjutsu, seeing as it was the art both of them excelled at the most. The genin wholeheartedly agreed. She refused to be left behind and staring helplessly at her teammates' backs as they walked further away from her.

As the adrenaline began to wear off, Sakura began to relax. Something slipped from her hand and rolled to the ground. Both she and Kurenai looked down. Naruto's rubber ball.

Sakura knelt down to pick it up. When her fingers made contact with the elastic surface, a sudden jolt coursed through her being, and she realised that she wanted to do more than help her teammate master a technique. She wanted to be useful to her team. She wanted to be needed – she wanted them to be able to rely on her.

"_How important is your team to you?"_

Her eyes grew wide. "Kurenai-sensei," she said quickly, "can we train only during the day?"

Recognising that Sakura had the excited look of someone who had finally 'seen the light', Kurenai let her by. "As long as you can balance it with whatever you have in mind."

"Arigatou, Sensei!" Kurenai practically had to Shunshin to open the door for her student; in her current state Sakura reminded her of Naruto, and even Kiba. They were all so alike beneath the skin. She waved when Sakura paused in the middle of her yard and bowed deeply to her.

Kurenai smiled to herself. Her students were starting to leave her nest; it was both inspiring and a little saddening. She closed the door, thinking, _So this is what being a teacher is like._

As she ran, Sakura berated herself for letting herself get out of shape. She hoped he was still there, because she wanted to do this tonight, afraid that her resolve would abandon her in the morning.

… _There he is!_

Tanaka Noboru had experienced many things in his thirty-six years, but a young girl throwing herself at him was something new. He looked for a pursuing mob and was even more puzzled when he saw that the street was just as empty as it had been a minute earlier. He was always the last one in the market to close his shop.

The girl began to gasp gibberish at him.

"Whoa, okay, catch your breath first," he grumbled, taking her by the shoulders. When he saw that she had, he continued. "Right, now let's hear it. What do you want? I know I'm not Prince Charming."

"Tanaka-san," said Haruno Sakura. "Please… please teach me medical jutsu."

* * *

Two weeks before the Chuunin third exam, Kiba was scarfing down his breakfast like he was afraid it would disappear in the next minute. Beside him, Akamaru was already finished and complaining that the boy was taking forever.

"Slow down," Hana ordered half-heartedly across the table. After all, this had only been happening all of last week.

"I need to train, Nee-chan!" Kiba's voice was muffled by a mouthful of rice.

Their mother returned from an early jounin meeting and chose that particular moment to enter the kitchen, catching her children in the middle of a foot fight beneath the table, sparked by Hana's disgust of her brother's table manners. "Try not to break any bones," she said as she poured herself a mug of coffee.

Kiba came out on the short end of the scuffle (as usual), so was grudgingly silent as he returned to his meal. He was almost finished when Tsume looked up. "Oh, I forgot. Guess what I heard at the meeting today, Kiba…"

Ten seconds later, Hana nonchalantly spread out her newspaper just in time to shield her from a spray of Kiba's breakfast as her brother shouted, "WHAT?!"

* * *

The good thing about being Uzumaki Naruto was that no one came into his room besides the regular checkups. Naruto had only landed himself in hospital because Jiraiya had sighted symptoms of chakra exhaustion and literally thrown him through the doors. After being intimidated into staying overnight, the blonde was feeling fit to kill a few tigers but the medics firmly insisted that he remain for another day. They obviously didn't know how important a day was to Naruto; he was going to complete the Rasengan before the end of the month and that was that.

After obediently sitting through another check-up – the nurse did not stay long – Naruto quickly bounced to his feet and threw on his clothes.

He had one foot out the window when the door banged open – and he discovered the bad thing about being-

"_NA-RU-TOOOO!_"

His eyes widened in horror. "S-Sakura-chan! I can ex-" Too late. She grabbed a fistful of his jacket and gave a mighty yank. He landed on the floor in a dazed pile. "… plain… ow…"

"Don't run off without even leaving a dummy in the bed, you idiot," retorted Kiba. His face swam out of focus and Naruto realised that Akamaru's friendly licks were obscuring his vision.

He sat up and wiped his face. "How did you know I was here?"

"You're not hard to keep track of, you know," Kiba pointed out, grinning.

Sakura leaned in, her expression terrifying. Naruto gulped. Then she sighed and helped him stand. "What did you do now?"

It wasn't that serious, really. Naruto had been too caught up in bursting the rubber ball that he hadn't taken notice of the time, or his chakra reserves. Although it was true that the pain in his hand had become so excruciating that he couldn't fall asleep without applying icepacks. Of course, he left this last detail out of his explanation.

Kiba shook his head. "Geez, I thought you tried to bungee jump from the Hokage Monument and forgot the rope. Try to be less of an idiot, won't you?"

Naruto couldn't control his grin. "Aww, you were worried, weren't you?"

A pillow smacked into his face. "Shut up!"

That set off a grand pillow fight – with only two pillows. It didn't last long, but the boys still managed to score a hit on Sakura. Then it became war. It was a miracle the neighbouring patients didn't complain about the ruckus – but then again, Naruto figured, they had probably placed him in a lesser-occupied ward. He didn't let it drag down his mood, not when the genins of Team Eight were finally reunited. For ten minutes, the Chuunin Exam fell away from them and they were just squabbling kids.

It ended when Kiba and Akamaru teamed up to gain possession of both pillows. The Inuzuka smiled apologetically. "Sorry guys, I can't stay for long. My mom and Hana are waiting for me at home. I just wanted to make sure this idiot was in one piece." He slapped Naruto's chest, unintentionally knocking the smaller boy back a step. He flashed them a smile. "I'll take you guys to Ichiraku's next week."

"You're not allowed to live if you forget," Sakura cautioned playfully.

After he was gone, she turned and saw Naruto climbing out the window again. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Come on, Sakura-chan. We can go play!"

"Play? What happened to your important training?" Sakura retorted – then realised she had fallen for it. "You're supposed to be in bed!"

"Aww, but we haven't hung out in ages." Naruto, of course, knew where his teammate's weakness lay. "Sakura-chaaaaann."

To her credit, Sakura endured a full four minutes of whining before crumbling. "At least leave a shadow clone behind," she grumbled.

* * *

Sakura could not believe that she had never climbed the Hokage Stone before. The view was breathtaking. She hadn't realised that her village was so… beautiful. "And you come here every week?" she asked Naruto.

"Yup. This is my favourite view of the village." He gazed out at the sprawling buildings beneath them. "And one day, my face is going to be carved on this rock. You'll cheer for me, won't you, Sakura?"

"Not if you keep sneaking out of the hospital."

"It was boring in there! And I can't keep wasting time; I need to train." Naruto patted his chest ruefully. "Kiba got stronger."

"You're not hurt, are you?" Sakura asked lightly.

He turned to her with a grin. "Come on, I can kick-ass _and_ survive ass-kicking." She rolled her eyes teasingly. "But I'm not going to fall behind. Kiba's not the only one who's been training hard."

They sat atop Yondaime's head, looking out at Konoha. "I've been training too," Sakura eventually revealed.

"With Sensei?"

"We've been working on my genjutsu. And Kurenai-sensei gave me chakra paper to test my affinity. I'm Water. So we've been working on that too."

"No fair, I want to know mine!" Naruto pouted. "I'm going to ask Sensei next time."

"Hey, look what I can do." Sakura got up and raised her hand into the air. Moisture drained out of the air, gathering in her palm. Naruto watched in fascination as its form gradually became defined, tapering to a deadly point. It was a spear – made of water.

He leapt to his feet. "Awesome!"

Sakura flushed modestly. "It's just the Water Whip, really. Only the shape is different. And I can kind of keep it in that form after I throw it; three seconds is my limit though." She let the technique melt and trickle down her fingers. When she looked up again, she found Naruto staring at her. "N-Nani?"

"Your control got better," he said admirably. "I can tell."

"That's because I've been doing some… extra training. I'm learning medical jutsu from Tanaka-san in the afternoons."

"Sakura-chan is going to be a medic?"

She shook her head. "I'm not aiming that high. I'm just learning the basics. It's only been a week so I haven't learned more than first aid."

"But why? Isn't it tiring?"

"A little." Sakura shrugged. "But I like it." _I like knowing that I've got something I can be good at, something that makes me useful._

Looking at the satisfied smile on his friend's face, Naruto felt Sakura's joy flow into him. That was one of the best things about being in a team; you never felt like you were alone.

"Hey, Naruto." Sakura sounded she had just remembered something. "I've been thinking about your training… can we try something?"

He blinked. "Okay… but I don't have…" Sakura pulled a ball out of her pocket. He should have known she would be prepared. She placed it in his hand. "So what do I do?"

"Just pump chakra into it." Sakura moved to stand beside him, and extended her hands over his. "I'll try and control your chakra for you."

Naruto did as he was told. Supplying chakra was an effortless job for him. He could feel Sakura at work, and her control was impeccable; she carefully drew in every last vestige and focused on accelerating rotation. It took a while for her to become familiar with the task; Naruto's chakra was strangely dense and stubborn to mould. Slowly, she got the hang of it.

"More," she murmured, and a rush of chakra flowed into the ball. Its surface grew bumpy. "More, Naruto… Keep going…"

It began to bulge and spasm so violently that Naruto had to hold it down with his other hand. He let out an excited yelp; they had passed the extent he alone could muster. He ignored the ache in his hand. This could – would – work.

_POP!_

Naruto blinked at his empty hand, and saw a flap of material flutter down the Stone.

He took advantage of her surprise to bear-hug his partner. "We did it, Sakura-chan!"

"Get off," she complained half-heartedly. She hadn't thought it would actually work. Truth be told, she was taken aback by how large Naruto's reserves were. Over half of hers had been depleted when she had attempted it on her own, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Naruto finally released her, grinning widely. "I'll treat you to ramen for helping me."

"I didn't do anything! You still have to try it on your own-"

He grabbed her hand. "Don't be a party pooper. Let's go!"

They ended up racing each other to Ichiraku's. Despite the different routes they took, both genins were neck to neck – right up until the stand was only a few blocks away and Naruto inadvertently smacked into a billboard on the next roof he had been aiming for.

"It wasn't there yesterday!" he tried to defend himself, but Sakura was still howling with laughter when they sat down and ordered.

"Oh, you idiot," she snorted. Still giggling, she reached into her pouch and opened a plaster. "This is the best I can do for you," she told him, and slapped it onto his bruised forehead.

Naruto's eyes watered with stinging pain. It would be healed within minutes but Sakura's gesture was warming. "The trick to popping that ball is that there _is_ no trick," she said. "You just need a lot of chakra and control to do it. You need to improve your control, that's all."

"At least now I know it's possible." That was all he needed to fuel his determination. He was going to nail it and shove his victory in that Ero-sennin's drooling face.

"Here you go," Teuchi announced, sliding two bowls across the counter.

Sakura was ready to eat when she was disrupted by the clattering of Naruto's chopsticks falling out of his hand. She watched him shakily pick them up and grimace as if in pain when using them. He couldn't pick anything up – but he didn't have heavy gloves as an excuse. He had been fine when he had snuck out of the hospital… had using his chakra to burst the ball caused old injuries to resurface? Just how hard had he been training?

He noticed her watching, and grinned. "Eat up while it's hot, Sakura!"

He expected her to eat when he was like this? Sakura glanced over, catching Ayame's eye. The older girl had been watching, and she smiled knowingly at Sakura as she passed over a pair of scissors and a spoon. Sakura bowed her head gratefully.

"Mou, you're so troublesome," she admonished gently, pulling Naruto's bowl away from him.

For some reason, the sight of Sakura cutting up his ramen for him rendered Naruto speechless. He swallowed and turned away. His gaze landed on Teuchi, watching from the stove. The old man's eyes crinkled with a smile, the message in them easily readable: _Good for you, Naruto._

"Here you go, little kid," Sakura grinned. She reached over and slipped the spoon into his hand. When he didn't start eating, her eyes softened at the expression on his face and she added cheerfully, "Don't make me feed you now."

Naruto shook his head and wholeheartedly returned her grin. "Itadakimasu!"

* * *

Jiraiya had always fancied visiting a beautiful woman in the middle of the night, preferably with a bouquet of roses that he could trade for a kiss. Unfortunately, Yuuhi Kurenai didn't even give him a chance to knock. He found her leaning against the open door before he had even crossed the lawn. "What favour do I owe for your visit tonight, Jiraiya-sama?" she asked wryly.

He gave a small laugh. Of all the possible jounin the kid just had to have one of the most attractive _and_ witty as his instructor. "I thought you would like to be kept updated on Naruto's progress."

"I would," she replied, and let him in.

Jiraiya cast a quick look from the threshold. It was a neat residence, exuding a sense of comfort. Kurenai invited him to sit. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"It's fine. I won't be staying long."

Nodding, Kurenai settled into the opposite armchair and politely gestured for him to continue.

"I'm teaching him the Yondaime's jutsu."

Kurenai took a moment to digest this. "You believe he is ready and capable to learn an A-rank jutsu?"

"He's picking it up extraordinarily quickly. It took Minato three years to develop it, and he claims he can get it down in three _weeks_," Jiraiya chuckled. "You've taught that boy well, Kurenai."

"Naruto is the one with the talent."

"I have to agree on that." Jiraiya glanced into Kurenai's crimson eyes. "I thought the Rasengan would be useful to him in the match against Sabaku no Gaara – if he masters it in time. I wanted him to have something to fall back on. When two people of their kind clash, the consequences will be tremendous."

The jounin lowered her voice. "So it's true that the Kazekage-"

Sudden knocks on the front door cut off the rest of Kurenai's words. Discussing such a delicate matter, it was understandable that both shinobi's eyes sliced to the interruption, suspicious and alert. But Kurenai recognised the presence on the other side, and knew it was safe to answer. "Aoba," she greeted her colleague.

"Kurenai," he returned. When he looked past her and noticed her company, his eyes widened behind his dark shades and he bowed deeply in respect. Straightening, he addressed Kurenai. "We found Kinuta Dosu's body in the east district. ANBU are looking into it, but it looks like he's be mauled by… something."

Kurenai pursed her lip and glanced toward Jiraiya. There were no feral beasts in the village to speak of, and they shared the same doubts. "Is that all?" she asked Aoba, although she already knew the answer. A special jounin sent to deliver news on a dead Chuunin Exam participant? It didn't add up.

"Spit it out," Jiraiya said sharply when Aoba was slow to respond.

The man cursed to himself and looked to the floor. "… Hayate's dead."

* * *

Taking a late night stroll had been a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. She should have just stayed in her room and endured another night of insomnia. She could have woken her parents. She could have done something – anything. Anything but witness _that_.

Ino hugged her knees to her chest in a vain attempt to stop trembling. _Why… why?_

Feeling a sudden wave of foreboding chill her to the bone, Ino quickly raised her head. And froze. Because _he_ was there, standing at the mouth of the alleyway, breathing raggedly. She had fled to the other side of the village after what she had seen, and he had followed her. Ino scrambled to her feet and backed up, feeling the cold wall dig into her shoulder blades.

He just… stood there. Only his hoarse breaths punctured the eerie silence. When the tension reached a breaking point, Ino cracked. "I saw you!" she blurted out. She could barely recognise her own voice.

He was not the stoic person she had met in the Exam. His composure had broken down; he was holding his head and his shoulders were heaving. But when he looked at her, his eyes were the same. Cold, bleak, and bloodthirsty.

"He gets excited on a full moon," he rasped, and a horrible grin spread on his features. "Don't worry… he doesn't want your blood."

Despite his words, Ino shrank further away from him. "Why did you kill him?"

"He attacked me."

"But you didn't have to _kill_ him!"

"Don't," he growled, "question my existence."

Ino stared at him, hardly believing that such a person could exist. "Why are you like this?" she whispered. "What happened to-"

"My mother was sacrificed so I could be brought into this world," he said flatly. "I was born to be a monster."

She couldn't take it anymore. Tears streamed down her face, and she shook her head slowly. "What's wrong with you?" Her feet became tangled when she stepped backward. She landed hard on her backside and although pain jarred her body, her eyes remained riveted on the horrifying entity standing before her.

"What is_ wrong with you?!_" Ino screamed.

Sabaku no Gaara tilted his head, watching her with almost childish curiosity. Moonlight spilled onto his shoulders, illuminating the kanji tattooed on his pale face. "Why? Is it wrong to want to exist?"

Then he was gone.

Ino stared, stunned, at the place he had stood. Moments later, she broke down in sobs and curled in on herself. Her hands clawed at her hair as the flashback of a monstrous claw blocking out the moon seared her mind.

Sabaku no Gaara was insane. He was a cold-blooded murderer. She was _glad_ she didn't understand him – she didn't want to. No one would ever want to understand someone like him.

Ino buried her face in her knees. She hated him. She wished she had never met him, wished that he had never-

"_Is it wrong to want to exist?"_

She cried harder, but not because she was petrified beyond her wits, not because she had witnessed a heartless murder.

She cried because after all he had put her through, Ino did not know why – _how_ – she could feel pity for Sabaku no Gaara.

* * *

A/N: Tada! Yes, I know it's been eons since the last update. Again, I blame school, school and school. I'm on Easter break but I have exams straight after, so my holidays have been ruined by studying. I'm actually supposed to be doing that right now, but instead I finished this long overdue chapter.

Firstly, it's long, I know. It's only 500 words shorter than the last chapter. I needed to fit too many things in this chapter so I could start on the Third Exam in the next. This chapter ended up very Sakura-centric; I suppose she is my favourite character after all.

The observant ones would have noticed that a few things have changed. I de-Westernised the story. I added in honorifics since I've become comfortable with them, and swapped the names around so it's now Uzumaki Naruto instead of Naruto Uzumaki. I also went back and edited the entire story, from the very first chapter. Hopefully there are fewer mistakes and flows better now, though I'm still picking out random typos.

It will most likely be another long wait before I'm able to update again. If you're interested in how far I am with the next chapter, feel free to stop by at my blog, 1000 Words. The link can be found in my profile.

Now maybe I can finally study without plot bunnies running rampage in my head.


	17. On The Edge

A/N: So! If my math is right, it has been seventeen months since the last update. I can only imagine how surprising it is to see this story updated, haha. As usual, school is the culprit. I've now recently graduated from high school and have time to write, so here we are. I've forgotten how delightful writing is.

Recap of chapter 16: Naruto blackmails Jiraiya into training him, Kiba keeps training with his clan. Sakura comforts Ino about Gaara, confronts her parents about their misgivings towards her being a ninja, and resolves to learn medical jutsu under Tanaka the grocery guy. Naruto lands in hospital learning the Rasengan. Team Eight temporarily united. Convincing Sakura to sneak him out of hospital, they sit on the Hokage Monument and Sakura comes up with a way to further Naruto's Rasengan training. Then they have ramen together. Jiraiya and Kurenai find out that Dosu and Hayate are dead. And finally, Ino has a bit of a late night run-in with Gaara.

... I sound like an episode recap. Anyway, after so many months, I've got nothing to say but sorry for the lack of updates in all my stories, and I hope that the upcoming ones are worth half the wait. Again, check out my blog (link in the profile) for updates about my other multichapter stories if you follow them.

* * *

**Chapter 17 – On The Edge**

A talented student of Jiraiya's had once told the Sannin that he was a brilliant teacher, but obviously not an environmentalist. Looking around at the ravaged training ground of deformed trees and yawning ditches, Jiraiya thought he was beginning to see the truth in those words. That was why he winced when the now-familiar snarl of "_Rasengan!"_ was followed by the also familiar sound of splintering bark.

"What was that? A demolition crew?"

"Sounds dangerous… you want to get out now?"

"Yeah, let's go. They could be peeking at us…"

Alternatively, the two women climbing out of the pond could also be held responsible for Jiraiya's distraught and frustrated scowl as he rounded on Naruto, who stood panting in front of a gravely wounded oak tree. "Can't you keep it down? You're interrupting my research!"

Naruto wiped a trickle of sweat from his brow and shot the white-haired man a glare. "Are you supervising my training or what, Ero-sennin?"

"Oh! Is this how you treat your esteemed master? Do you know what I'm sacrificing just to train this ungrateful brat?"

As if he'd been waiting for the cue, Naruto raised three fingers and counted down as he said, "Getting drunk, splurging and… what was it? Oh – 'playing' with lots of pretty onee-chan!" He crossed his arms with a petulant frown. "You're supposed to be training me for the tournament!"

Jiraiya studied the worn down boy, who had given new meaning to the word 'stubborn' in his dictionary. Naruto had trained relentlessly, dawn to dusk, ever since he burst into the inn Jiraiya was lodging at and triumphantly ruptured the rubber ball in the hung-over man's face. The boy had improved drastically and although he had yet to perfect the Rasengan, Naruto's progress was such that Jiraiya could not help but be impressed. But obviously, his new student wasn't satisfied.

Jiraiya pulled out a gourd of sake and upended it, catching the last drops on his tongue. "The Rasengan is an advanced jutsu and you've mastered most of it. All that's left is practice. What more do you expect me to teach you, kid?"

Without hesitation, Naruto said, "I want to walk into that tournament feeling a hundred percent sure I can kick Gaara's ass."

Jiraiya watched him silently, sensing something amiss. "Listen Naruto," he said, his serious voice bringing Naruto to immediate attention. "There is no such thing as a hundred percent in the shinobi world." Naruto opened his mouth but Jiraiya went on. "You can have one hundred percent cotton or one hundred percent mature content – but there's no hundred percent survival. Got that?"

"I can still try!" Naruto persisted, trying not to sound frustrated.

Jiraiya sighed. "Kid. You're trying too hard.

After a moment of silence, Naruto cocked his head. "I don't get it."

He expected Jiraiya to explode in retorts of his mental capacity, but all the man did was sit down with another sigh and pat the spot next to him. If Naruto hadn't been convinced that he was witnessing the Toad Sannin's rare solemn side, he definitely believed it now. He sat.

"I knew someone who was a lot like you," Jiraiya began. "He was the man who invented the Rasengan, by the way."

"Who was he?" Naruto asked predictably.

Jiraiya smirked. He jerked a thumb toward the Hokage Monument, visible from almost every angle in the village. "The guy next to old Sandaime up there."

"Wow, you knew the Nidaime? You must be _old_."

Twitching, Jiraiya planted a hand on Naruto's spiky head and adjusted his line of vision. "The _Yondaime_, you idiot!"

Naruto became strangely subdued when he looked up at the proud figurehead. "You know, I always thought the Fourth Hokage was the coolest… because he saved the village from the Kyuubi," he said softly.

After a long pause, Jiraiya lifted his hand off Naruto's hair. "Do you blame him?" he asked lightly. The boy had come to a subconscious conclusion that Jiraiya was aware of the demon in his navel. Sadly, it did nothing but reveal his insecurity.

Naruto took a moment to consider. "Nah, guess not."

Jiraiya regretted his thoughtlessness. Uzumaki Naruto was a lot more complex than he had expected, and for some reason the revelation saddened him.

"Anyway," the Sannin continued, tactfully moving the conversation along. "He never backed down. He would always find a way to make ends meet no matter the odds against him. Then come the day he's offered the position of Hokage, and he says to me, 'I don't think I can do this. I don't know how to lead a village. I don't know how I can protect everyone.' And then he goes ahead to be one of the best bloody Kage in history." Jiraiya chuckled. "He was an idiot. And you're just like him, kid."

Naruto frowned. "I still don't get it."

"You lose half the fight just by thinking that you're not good enough. That's what I'm trying to tell you." Jiraiya prodded Naruto's chest with a finger. "If you've got it in you, you'll figure out a way to defeat your opponent. No one is going to hold your hand and teach you how to win. You figure it out yourself."

Naruto rubbed his chest thoughtfully. "What if I can't figure it out?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Then you're screwed. But you definitely don't stand a chance if you think that from the start." He peered at Naruto. "Why am I counselling _you_ about this kind of thing? You wouldn't give up even if someone banned ramen worldwide. Don't tell me you're scared of getting a little beat up."

"I'm not scared!" Naruto said indignantly. Then he lowered his eyes. "I just… I promised my friends I would be careful. And I promised myself I wouldn't make them worry."

Jiraiya smiled to himself. For someone so erratic and extraordinary, Uzumaki Naruto had a very run of the mill weakness.

"Geez, I don't get what you're complaining about," Jiraiya said dismissively as he closed his eyes and comfortably leaned back. "I wouldn't mind having a cute girl worrying about me. By the way, my research says your little friend is going to grow into one hell of a – oww!"

"Not everyone is dirty like you!" Naruto shouted. He tried to conjure the killer intent he had summoned on his team's first C-rank, when Sakura had told him that there was a pervert spying on the women's bath – but the memory of his teammate in nothing but a towel, framed by wispy white steam, only made Naruto's face feel extremely hot.

"Arghhhh! Stupid Ero-sennin!"

"You're such a lucky – yowch – hey –"

"Baka! Sakura-chan will kill you!"

"Ooohh, Sakura-_chan_, huh? My, my – _will you stop hitting me with that stick?_"

* * *

Days before the Chuunin Final Exam, Sakura found herself helping Tanaka Noboru set up his store, a chore she had convinced the man to let her partake to compensate for his tuition. It hadn't taken a lot of effort; Sakura was slowly becoming acquainted with her teacher's 'true self': a man with motivation on par with Nara Shikamaru's. _Typical_, the pink-haired genin thought with a roll of her eyes.

Due to Tanaka's constant excuses to leave the stall for a moment of freedom, Sakura had become accustomed to manning the business in his absence. So when a shadow fell over the counter, she was comfortable enough to drop everything and turn around with a smile. But she hadn't even uttered a professional greeting when she was blindsided by a sharp object spinning out from nowhere.

Sakura's first instinct was to duck, so she did. Then, when she registered that the spiky weapon was in fact a pineapple from Tanaka's own stand, she yelped and dived to rescue it before it hit the ground.

Sputtering on dust, Sakura came up with a scowl. "Mou, Tanaka-san! That was dangerous!" Tanaka was always testing her reflexes, but this was definitely the first time he'd pegged a _pineapple_ at her before.

"Excuses, excuses," an unimpressed, un-Tanaka voice droned. "I see you've been slacking off, Pinky."

Sakura spun around. "Takara-sensei!" Although aware that she ought to feel insulted, Sakura could not help but beam at Yamane Takara. "Are you shopping?"

Takara surveyed her student, grudgingly relishing in what hadn't changed and finding herself both surprised and impressed by what had. Sakura had grown. "So what, did you realise your lifelong dream to become a fruit ninja?"

Sakura's smile became a tad tight as she belatedly remembered that Takara was, well, _Takara_. She probably shouldn't have expected anything else in the first place. At the same time she was glad that the dark-haired woman hadn't changed one bit. "No," she answered as she replaced the pineapple, "I'm just looking after the shop for a bit."

"Because?"

"Because I'm learning medical jutsu from the owner." Sakura tried to deliver her response as casually as possible, but her subtlety immediately became blatantly obnoxious when Takara burst out laughing. "W-what?" she demanded, flustered.

"_You're_ taking lessons from Nobu-jii?"

Sakura blinked. _Nobu-jii? _Then she recalled that Kurenai had known Tanaka in her genin years. Clearly, she wasn't the only one. Once Sakura saw past this, she began to frown. "What do you mean _'you're_' taking lessons?" she huffed indignantly.

Still chuckling, Takara waved a hand. "Sorry, sorry. It's just so _perfect_."

Sakura blinked again. Was that a_ compliment?_

"Our sensei made Kurenai study under Nobu-jii. It was really useful," Takara explained. _Not useful enough_, the voices of her demons whispered. Takara closed her mind, trying to keep Masuru and Kouta-sensei in the darkness of her memories. It wasn't easy, and she sometimes wondered how Kurenai dealt with her own demons. She continued in a controlled voice. "She had the best chakra control in the team, and she got us out of several tight spots even though she only knew the basics. You, Pinky, have even better control than Kurenai did then. Learning medical jutsu is the best way to put that to use."

Sakura glowed at her words. Takara shook her head. Kids were so easy to please, and so disturbingly hopeful. Sometimes they needed a reality check. "Aren't you being a little overambitious though?" she mused. "It's easy for you to learn with Nobu-jii now, but that won't be the case when the final exam is over. You have to return to active duty, and don't expect me to take it easy on you when we start training again."

The smile slid off Sakura's face. After weeks of suffering from and overcoming her insecurities, she felt confident enough to look straight into Takara's eyes; the dark pupils widened slightly as they gazed into fierce emerald orbs. "I'm not going to be left behind," Sakura said in a voice she barely recognised.

Several moments passed until Takara broke away to pick up a familiar pineapple and thrust it in Sakura's face. "I'll take this." Watching Sakura fumble with the fruit for the second time, Takara hid a smile. Kurenai had her hands full.

Sakura leaned over and placed the pineapple in Takara's basket – and was stunned when she felt a hand gently patting her head. "You know, kids like you aren't all that bad."

By the time Sakura recovered from her shock, Takara had already been swallowed by the morning crowd. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "You're coming to the tournament, right?"

"She'll be there."

Sakura managed to stay calm when the gravelly voice sounded from directly behind her. "And where have you been?" she demanded sternly over her shoulder, knowing her teacher would ignore her. In a quieter voice, she added, "I think Naruto and Kiba would really want her to be there."

Tanaka waved a hand dismissively. "She may be a beast but she's as sentimental as they come. Don't worry about it."

Sakura just smiled, because she knew it was true.

"By the way," Tanaka tapped his wooden leg, eliciting a sharp thud that Sakura had come to recognise as a sign that she had done something wrong. Up until now, it had always been used to correct her study of medical techniques. "You do know she didn't pay for that, right?"

* * *

On the morning of the Chuunin Exam's final round, Kurenai woke early enough to have tidied her house, watered her plants and finished her tea by the time she sensed the village and its guests making their way toward the stadium. She'd slept well enough considering the fact that she had spent the previous day attending a comrade's funeral service and at a pub where no one tried to stay sober despite their duties, on top of hauling Anko home in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, she seemed to be the only one who had slept at all.

Kurenai could recognise an insomniac's slump even in a busy street of anticipated chatter, especially that of Sarutobi Asuma. The corner of her mouth twitched when his greeting was punctuated by a wide yawn.

"Cover your mouth," she said wryly, and fell into step beside him. "I told you not to drink so much. I doubt your father will be impressed if he finds out you were hung over on such an important day."

"'M not hung over," he mumbled, and promptly let out another yawn.

Kurenai glanced at him. "Your cigarette isn't lit."

"Oh." He patted his vest pockets, then his trousers'. "Crap, where'd I put my lighter? I swear…" He heard a sigh and then Kurenai passed him a flame on her fingertip. Blinking, he leaned in. He inhaled a deep breath, sighing as it circulated lazily through his waking body. "That's better. Thanks."

She nodded. "Genma isn't hung over, is he?"

"No, he didn't drink at all. He doesn't like it, having to replace Hayate. Do you know how Yuugao is doing?"

"I haven't seen her. She's been busy with village security."

"She should take some time off. She's working herself too hard."

"Can you blame her?" Kurenai murmured.

Asuma took another long drag from his cigarette, feeling his head clear. Despite what others thought, he didn't like to smoke. He felt he needed a reason to light his cigarette, and the reasons had only ever been bad on all occasions. He lifted his eyes to the clear blue sky. "No, I guess not."

After a short pause, Asuma said, "How do you think the tournament will turn out? Reckon your kids-"

He stopped abruptly when Kurenai held up her hand. She looked over her shoulder. He did too – and reddened uncontrollably when he saw the sly expressions on the faces of the genins who had been casually tailing them for half the journey. Maybe he _was_ hung over after all.

"Are we being light bulbs, Sensei?" Kiba grinned.

"Don't worry, we didn't hear anything," Naruto chimed in, and waggled his eyebrows at Asuma. The jounin coughed.

Kurenai's amusement transformed into a _what-am-I-ever-going-to-do-with-you-three _look as her gaze settled on her mischievous genins. "You're not forgetting something?"

The three of them straightened immediately. "Good morning, Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei!" they chorused loudly.

Asuma nodded absently. "I'll… go ahead, Kurenai."

Team Eight watched him leave. Sakura couldn't help but confirm; "We _really_ weren't interrupting anything, Sensei?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes with a hidden smile. "Did you three _really_ get together to stalk your teacher?"

"Of course!" Naruto said loudly, still wearing his cheeky grin.

Sakura gave him a pointed look. "Actually, we were worried Naruto would sleep in."

"For good reason," Kiba smirked, nudging the blonde boy.

Kurenai raised her eyebrow at Naruto, who glared at Kiba. "I was just about to get up!"

"Oh yeah, of course."

"Come on, I need lots of sleep to look good for the fans. No champion looks like they just woke up."

Kurenai shook her head. "Alright, champion, come over here." She patted down his ruffled bed hair, well aware that the boy was turning pink while his teammates sniggered behind their hands. "Kiba, you too."

"I combed my hair," he protested, although Akamaru shifted conspicuously to cover more of his master's spiky locks.

Kurenai looked down at the two boys, who immediately stopped fidgeting. "Are we ready?" she asked softly. Naruto and Kiba looked at each other, then back at her, and grinned widely.

"You bet!"

Kurenai looked past the boys and found Sakura's eyes. They were the same as hers; so worried yet so proud, and so guilty for it all. Then Sakura smiled tentatively, and Kurenai left it all behind.

"Then let's go."

* * *

Seated on the Kage platform, Sarutobi could tell the audience had become restless. It wasn't surprising; this year had drawn up interesting candidates. Watching Uchiha Sasuke join the row of finalists, minutes belated, and flatly ignore Naruto's challenging glare, the aged Hokage chuckled quietly to himself. He would never get used to seeing children he had watched grow up standing as true shinobi before him.

He turned to the man seated beside him. "Pardon the delay, Kazekage-sama. We can begin now."

The slanted eyes of Suna's leader met his. "Very good. I am excited to see how this tournament unfolds. The Leaf seems to have very promising shinobi."

Sarutobi looked down at Sabaku no Gaara, who stood unmoved by the crowd's rising cheers. "As does the Sand."

The Kazekage made a soft sound behind his veil and inclined his head slightly. Sarutobi continued to watch the man from the corner of his eye. The Kazekage was a boastful man, and Sarutobi noticed perceptively that his eyes were unmistakeably not trained on Gaara. Hiding a thoughtful frown, Sarutobi caught Genma's eye below and nodded. The jounin stepped forward and raised his hand.

"The first match will now begin. Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba – step forward."

* * *

The two competitors had just taken their positions on either side of the referee when Sakura felt a presence over her shoulder. "Ano… may I sit here?" Hyuuga Hinata asked quietly.

The pink-haired girl took her eyes off the arena to look up at her former classmate, surprised. "Sure, go right ahead."

Hinata looked relieved. "Thank you. I couldn't find a seat anywhere." Sakura smiled back.

It wasn't hard to believe; it was an understatement to say that the stadium was filled. Several matches were highly anticipated – Sasuke's, for one. It was so bad that Sakura and the other genins would be standing at the back if it weren't for the Inuzuka. The clans had reserved seats and the Inuzuka seemed to have an overabundance of them in their aisle. Maybe it was the large, battle-worn dogs. Sakura's companions hadn't looked particularly thrilled by the prospect of sitting among the most feral clan in the village. Truth be told, Sakura had her own misgivings but there was nowhere else to sit and the clan easily accepted them as Kiba's friends.

It did take a bit of work to convince Ino after Hana's Haimaru triplets excitedly tackled the pink-haired girl, though.

Now, as Hinata gratefully sat down next to her, Sakura wondered why she wasn't sitting across the stadium with the Hyuuga, but refrained from asking. It wasn't her business, and if Tsume had no complaints about the heiress sitting with her clan, Sakura was hardly in any position to question it.

Two seats across, Tenten was looking down at the field with interest. "Any bets?"

"Kiba," Sakura said automatically, not because she felt obligated but because she'd learned to believe.

"Shino," Ino disagreed, simply because _she_ felt obligated to spite her rival.

Sakura told herself she wouldn't rise to it. She didn't have the nerves for it right now, and she could tell Ino didn't either. Judging from the way Ino had refused to look anywhere near a certain finalist, they both had heavy thoughts on their mind. Instead, Sakura simply made a face at the blonde girl and turned to Hinata before the latter could retaliate. "What do you think, Hinata?"

Hinata's head came up in surprise. "P-Pardon?" she stammered distractedly. She had just felt the piercing pressure of her sister's Byakugan on her, making her cringe inwardly. It had taken a great deal of courage to excuse herself from the clan, and already she regretted it. Father would definitely lecture her afterwards; perhaps the only thing more despairing than the fact that Neji, a branch house member, was in the finalists' balcony while his daughter was not, was the fact that Hinata hadn't yet crippled herself with shame. Hiashi didn't understand that he'd already done it himself, from the moment he had pitted Hinata against her younger sister.

"Shino or Kiba?" Sakura reminded lightly.

"Oh. I-I think…" Hinata's pale eyes flitted down to the stadium, where the two boys had just finished bowing to each other. "I think both Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are very strong."

Sakura followed her gaze, her own eyes settling on Kiba's back. She couldn't help but notice that it was broader, his stance more solid. It suddenly occurred to her that she and Hinata were in the same situation; the only one of their team to be in the audience, having lost to each other's teammate. Looking back at Hinata, Sakura realised that she had something the other girl didn't. The revelation made her grab Hinata's hand and shoot to her feet.

"Let's cheer for them," she smiled when Hinata let out a surprised squeak. Her heart was thumping as she cupped her hands to her mouth. "Go Kiba!" she bellowed along with the rest of the crowd, and it felt so good. "I'll kill you if you make me lose my bet!"

She laughed when Kiba rolled up his sleeves with determination. Somewhere distant but not far enough, Naruto whooped. "Come on, Hinata," Sakura encouraged.

The Hyuuga girl looked flustered. "Sh-Shino-kun…!" she called uncertainly. She jumped when Ino thumped her back, coming up on her other side.

"You can do better than that," Ino remarked. Sakura met her eye briefly and they exchanged a quick grin. The last time the two of them had been united, it had been to cheer for Sasuke.

Squeezing Hinata's arm, they continued to yell down even when they were drowned out by the crowd and the sound of metal against metal.

* * *

No sooner had the proctor lifted his hand did Kiba spring at his opponent with a rush of his best speed. It took Shino by surprise, but it was hard to see exactly how much under the glasses and high collar. The other boy barely had time to raise his arm – and although that was all he managed to do, Kiba's kunai still made hard, metallic contact with his forearm.

"What are you, a walking heap of scrap metal?" the Inuzuka couldn't help but grunt.

Shino lifted his arm so that his wide sleeve shifted to reveal the hilt of a kunai. "A ninja should always be equipped for an ambush," he said in his low voice.

Kiba's lips pulled back in a grin. "Nice one, Aburame." He put his weight into the kunai. His eyes flickered down; where Shino had furtively shifted one foot back for better purchase. "But you clearly aren't the taijutsu type, are you?"

His opponent didn't say anything. Instead, Kiba's sensitive ears picked up a high frequency buzzing. Akamaru barked a warning, but Kiba had already leapt back – just as a horde of dark insects spilled from Shino's heavy jacket. Kiba tossed his kunai into the dark mist; they parted around it and Shino merely shifted slightly to let the blade whiz by his ear. The kikaichu hovered loosely around their master.

Kiba eyed his opponent with narrowed eyes. He knew little about Shino from their Academy years, but he hadn't been far off the mark when he had presumed reliance on his bugs meant Shino was rusty on hand-to-hand combat. The problem, Kiba mused as he studied the Aburame's clouds of insects, was getting close enough without being swarmed by the kikaichu. From the prepared kunai in the sleeve, he was almost certain Shino had more bugs nested inside him for reserve.

What a terrible matchup.

Kiba reached into his pouch. He'd stand no chance to face Naruto in the next round if he wasn't careful. "Let's go, Akamaru." He tossed a soldier pill to his partner, who leapt to snatch it from the air. Feeling slightly excited, Kiba grinned and put his hands together. "Juujin Bunshin!"

The crowd was roused when one of the two Kibas leapt at the Aburame. A wave of kikaichu rose to sweep Akamaru back as he lunged. Kiba dived in from the side with a midair kick that Shino intercepted with one arm. Ignoring the bugs that partially redirected from Akamaru towards him, Kiba twisted to bring his other leg down on Shino's head. The latter was forced to sidestep – right into Akamaru's swipe at his face.

A burst of kikaichu streamed from Shino's collar and rushed up to engulf Akamaru's clawed hands, rapidly rising up his arm. Kiba cursed and backtracked a few steps. "Down, boy!" he called out, just as he finished the handseals. "Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The flames were small but enough to make the bugs scatter. Akamaru, shrunken back in his usual form, shook himself out – but stopped in time to fling himself to the side to avoid being speared with shuriken.

Kiba growled gutturally, rounding on Shino. He was taken aback by the intense glare that he felt even through the shaded lenses. Blinking, Kiba chuckled. It seemed the Inuzuka weren't the only ones protective of their familiars. Already, the match was nothing like he'd anticipated.

He sprang back as the kikaichu began to form a barricade around him. He could already feel the handful that had managed to attach themselves draining his chakra in small bites. It was hardly noticeable, but Kiba knew that he was in trouble if that changed.

Sensing the flicker of chakra behind him, Kiba spun with a swift backhand. Shino ducked beneath the blow and came up with a kunai shooting from his sleeve. Jerking hard to the left, Kiba's right leg shot out to catch the Aburame's side. He'd put out a hand to break his fall, but almost toppled over when his foot lashed against air.

Then Akamaru barked and Kiba's eyes flickered down at the bugs making their way up his leg. From the corner of his eye, he saw the clone burst into more bugs. Rapidly pulling away, Kiba threw himself into a Tsuuga in an attempt to dislodge the kikaichu from his body. Coming up on the other side of the arena, he shifted into a loose defensive stance as he surveyed the field. Shino, that sly creep. He'd taken advantage of the situation to conceal himself in the surrounding undergrowth.

Kiba's nose twitched, and he glanced at a particularly large tree several yards from his right. Surely, Shino would know it was useless to hide from an Inuzuka, and in such a limited area no less. It didn't take much to see that he was up against a shrewd, calculative opponent. If Shino was keeping himself hidden despite knowing it was a futile effort, he was obviously trying to lure Kiba into a trap of some sort. He wracked his head. _What's he planning?_

His leg still tingled with faint stings from the bugs. Kiba shook it out. The sensation of having chakra leeched from his system burned unpleasantly, and he hated to think that at one point he'd have to encounter those sordid kikaichu again.

Then, as he cautiously looked around for signs of Shino's bugs, he realised that was what the Aburame had intended. Flaunting his jutsu's range and effects had put Kiba on the defensive. The Inuzuka scowled – he'd already played into his opponent's hands.

* * *

"Kiba's getting frustrated," Hana observed.

Tsume scoffed, arms folded. "Who wouldn't be? Shibi's kid fights just like him."

Hana glanced at her mother. She knew better than to call Inuzuka Tsume a hypocrite, but at times like this she really had to wonder how she had turned out so unlike her mother and brother.

The crowd was whispering to each other, making bets between them. Hana didn't have to listen to know that Aburame Shino had made Kiba look like a hard-headed brute with little capacity to think before he acted. They weren't far off from the truth, but those laying bets on the Aburame would be running for their money if they thought that was all Kiba could do.

Down by the rails, Sakura and her former classmates were watching the arena intently. "Kiba's in trouble," Ino said. "Shino completely wiped the floor with that Sound nin in the preliminary matches."

"Kiba won't let that happen," Sakura answered without looking away from her teammate. Kiba was standing still, and she knew him well enough that she could practically hear his mind churning. The thought of Kiba getting carried away on a stretcher one limb short was… "He'll be fine," the pink-haired girl said clearly.

Ino raised an eyebrow. Did her rival even see how much she worried about those talkative boys she called her teammates? "Well, I'm pretty sure Shino wouldn't be that ruthless anyway." She nudged Hinata, who had started to look like she had fallen into thoughts completely unrelated to the match. "Right?"

The Hyuuga girl jumped a little. "Sh-Shino-kun is very… careful," she mumbled.

Hana thought Kiba was also being very careful. It didn't hurt that he'd learned to think strategically; lately, she had been surprised by how close Kiba came to overwhelming her with cleverly executed manoeuvres and traps. Still, Hana felt her brother seemed overly cautious today, and when as she listened to the murmurs of her elders behind her, she came to understand why. The Inuzuka were a small clan and more open-minded than most, but they were still a clan.

"Mom-"

"Just watch, Hana," Tsume said, with a light smirk to herself. Sometimes she wondered if she had it, but at least her motherly intuition didn't fail her when she needed it. "Kiba has to learn how to stand on his own. You don't want to be clan head, right?"

Hana laughed, shaking her head. "He made that promise when he was five, Mom."

"Well, he does keep _some_ promises."

The two women chuckled. Hana smiled as she continued to watch her brother. She'd always tried to shield him from the clan's affairs and had been fairly successful until she herself had undone it.

After sitting through her first clan meeting, Hana had come out looking so gloomy that even her kid brother had noticed. Even as a genin, she'd realised then that despite being the eldest child, she was not fit to lead the clan. It wasn't the responsibility – what Hana disliked was that the uncles, aunties and grandparents she loved became stern adults who delegated responsibility to her mother, swooping like vultures whenever a complicated matter reared its head.

She'd made the mistake of voicing it to Kiba. For a kid whose greatest pastime was chasing after her three dogs, Hana had thought her brother wouldn't understand. That was, until he'd barged into the next meeting with a barking puppy and demanded that he – and Akamaru – be included in the discussion.

Hana became a lot more watchful of what she said around her brother after that. Kiba had always been the type to obsess over one thing to ignore it a week later – but eight years later, he still attended clan meetings no matter how much he complained about them. Kiba was reliable, stubborn – and hated to lose.

"There we go," Tsume said, as Kiba began to move. She sat back and watched as he and Akamaru performed the Beast Clone Jutsu once more, charging into the trees with a destructive Gatsuuga. They tripped wires and didn't falter as they ripped through the shower of weapons that flew at them.

Dark bugs poured out from the tree to form a suffocating sphere around the grey blurs. Tsume grinned when the exploding tags on the clones detonated, swallowing up any kikaichu within a two metre radius. Halfway on the other side of the stadium, the Aburame clan winced.

Kiba had been circling around his opponent's hiding place and sprang when the Aburame was shaken by the loss a large portion of his allies. Shino noticed the ambush only when Kiba's fist was inches from his face, but by then the kikaichu he had placed in the leaves around his position for this very purpose had latched onto the Inuzuka, leaving little of the other boy visible.

Still, the punch that slammed into his jaw and sent him spinning from the branch had enough power behind it to make Shino spit out a wad of blood as his sunglasses flew off his face. He flipped backwards into the air. Kiba's sharp eyes tracked him, face half obscured by bugs, and he crouched in preparation to leap after him.

"So reckless," Hana sighed.

"What's he thinking?" Sakura's blonde friend said in disbelief – and disgust. "Those bugs are all over him! He's not going to last like that even if he wins."

Sakura looked doubtful herself, but her answer summed up Hana's sentiments better than the woman could have done herself. "Kiba takes things as they come. That idiot can't fight any other way."

Shino felt a presence above him. Without his shades, the sun almost blinded him as he twisted his head to see.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled as he launched himself after Shino. "Dynamic Marking!"

* * *

He hated the sensation of writhing masses of insects on his skin and the searing burn of his chakra siphoning from his pathways in waves. His body was already starting to feel heavy and he hated to imagine how he looked. Naruto would never let him live it down.

But Kiba would rather endure that than hover uncertainly in the open, warily shooting himself in the foot while his body called for him to rush up and teach Shino that the Inuzuka should not be underestimated. He was smart enough to see that he could not think strategically on the same level as Shino, and trying was simply paranoia. He'd drawn an opponent whose specialties matched unfavourably against his – he'd just have to deal with it, wouldn't he?

Kiba coiled back, doing a better job of ignoring the bugs crawling over him than he'd thought possible. All he knew was that after making it so far with his team to stand in this arena with his clan, friends and village watching him, he'd rather lose trying than lose standing in fear of defeat. After he settled into that mindset, the match almost became exciting. This was his fight, and he was going to have fun.

That was why he grinned when he heard his clan's uproarious laughter even before Akamaru spun and urinated on Shino's head with precision honed from hours of practice. Kiba could swear Naruto's cackle was the loudest.

More bugs latched onto his face, forcing him to close his eyes. Kiba barely hesitated as he rocketed off the branch and shot towards his airborne opponent.

Shino quickly changed track from wiping his face to drawing shuriken from his pouch. The white puppy falling away from him let out a bark, and Kiba threw himself into a Piercing Fang just as the weapons left Shino's hand. The furious vortex knocked the projectiles aside like toys. Frowning, the Aburame substituted himself for a log and continued falling to the ground.

He didn't expect the grey hurricane to immediately veer away from its original path to follow his descent – then again, Shino hadn't expected Kiba to attack him headlong despite being aware of the kikaichu. Shino hated unpredictable foes.

He threw up his arms to shield himself as Kiba slammed down at him with enough force to spear him into the ground and break up the earth beneath his back. Shino's sharply exhaled breath was lost in the impact.

Straddling him, Kiba put a hand on Shino's neck. The familiar, acrid scent of his dog's urine rushed up his nose. His Tsuuga had shed a great deal of the bugs from his body but opening his eyes took more effort than he'd expected. He grimaced; the kikaichu worked a lot faster than he'd thought. At this rate, he'd barely have enough chakra for a simple kawarimi.

"That was a foolish move, Inuzuka," Shino said. He was breathing hard and carefully.

Kiba chuckled. "I know, huh? I'm going to cop it from my mom later, wearing myself out just to win the first match."

"You won't win," Shino told him calmly.

Pointed teeth flashed in a grin. "But I'm not planning to lose, either."

Shino pulled his knees up to plant his feet on Kiba's abdomen and kick him off. Kiba staggered slightly when he landed, knees threatening to give way, but even so his guard was solid when Shino swept a roundhouse kick at his face. The air around them hummed with the remaining kikaichu. As he'd expected, most of the bugs reattached themselves to Kiba. Both combatants knew taijutsu was Shino's weakest field. Whittling down his opponent to chakra exhaustion before he was overwhelmed was the most sensible tactic.

Kiba knocked aside sharp jab at his jugular, his breath beginning to come in laboured gasps. Even though he could smell Shino's position, the kikaichu that purposefully obscured his vision made it hard for him to see the Aburame's strikes – he was taking more blows than he was landing them. His movements began to grow sluggish, his senses going slightly numb. Gritting his teeth, Kiba threw himself into his punches, determined to make them count.

His elbow caught Shino's gut. A hiss escaped the other boy's lips as he reeled back, clutching ribs previously cracked from Kiba's first assault. The kikaichu lifted off Kiba like a spell to rapidly form a wall between the two genin as Kiba, seeing an opening, lunged.

With a yell, his fist broke through the incomplete barrier and caught Shino in the jaw and lifted the Aburame off his feet. Pushing his burning limbs forward, Kiba drew up next to his opponent and slammed him down in a lariat.

Holding him down, Kiba breathed, "Didn't see that coming, did you?"

Shino had trouble focusing his vision to meet his opponent's gaze. Experimentally, he shakily flexed a hand. He could hardly move. "I am surprised," he said, the words coming out breathlessly. "I was confident in this match."

"I know. That really pissed me off, you know." Kiba laughed a little shakily. "But I showed you. No hard feelings, hey?"

Shino narrowed his eyes. Did Inuzuka not see the lack of logic in his statement? Since their Academy years, Shino had thought he had figured out most of his classmates. Now, though, he was starting to see that even Inuzuka Kiba could be difficult to understand.

Genma strode over to look down at the two beaten combatants. He smirked amusedly. The Inuzuka had driven his opponent to the point where both of them had put everything into the fight. Not the smartest move, but it had made the tournament's opening match a lot more eventful than it would have otherwise turned out.

"Hey kid," he said to Kiba. "Can you stand?"

Kiba grimaced at the thought. His legs, now devoid of adrenaline, trembled as he slowly tried to raise himself. He couldn't believe the kikaichu had managed to drain so much of his chakra in minutes. He'd have to stress to his mother never to agitate the Aburame clan.

An itch crawled down his arm. Kiba glanced down to see a trail of bugs marching down the back of his hand, retreating into Shino's jacket. The other boy stared expressionlessly up at the sky. Kiba smiled wearily. "Thanks."

Genma stepped back to give the boy room to stand. He raised an eyebrow when a loud whoop echoed down from the contestant's box.

"The winner of this match is Inuzuka Kiba."

The crowd erupted. A chorus of rough barks from the Inuzuka clan's aisle joined the cheers. Genma smiled behind the senbon. Every year, the aspiring genins made so many mistakes that it was exasperating for veterans to watch, but at the end of the day the ones in envy were those same veterans. There was something compelling about a youth's silly recklessness.

That was why Genma laughed when Inuzuka Kiba let out a groan and pitched forward. The special jounin caught the genin by the hood of his jacket and gently dropped him to the ground in a boneless heap. The crowd went silent as the victor of the match went down.

Then, shattering the sudden hush, "Kiba, you idiot! You still have to fight me!"

Kiba moaned into the dirt. Akamaru licked his face fondly. _Shut up, Naruto._

* * *

Kurenai glanced at Asuma. "You owe me a meal."

"That does not count," he argued.

"Genma thinks it does. In any case," Kurenai added with a pointed look, "if you insist on insinuating that my student fought tooth and nail for a victory that 'does not count', you will owe me more than a meal, Sarutobi."

Sighing, Asuma raised a hand in defeat. Having known Yuuhi Kurenai longer than most meant he knew exactly where his colleague drew the fine line between humour and that beyond. It made him wonder why he tested her anyway. "Alright, two meals."

Kurenai lifted an eyebrow with a wry look in her eyes. "I see your hangover robbed you of subtlety."

He reddened slightly, shrugging. "Give a man a chance, will you?"

Kurenai watched him silently. Looking slightly uncomfortable, Asuma met her crimson gaze. Not many people looked directly into her eyes. Hiding a smile, Kurenai turned away as Naruto and Gaara entered the arena. "Your thoughts on this match?"

Asuma glanced down. "Hell, I'm not betting on that kid," he snorted

"Wise," she approved, amusement warm in her tone. Uzumaki Naruto was the most surprising ninja after all. She only hoped he knew what he was doing.

Neither genin exchanged a word as they faced each other, but Genma's frown, visible even from a distance, made it clear that the tension between the two boys was heavy. Kurenai leaned forward on the rail, studying Naruto's grim expression. She'd been impressed by the speed Kiba had displayed, which made her all the more interested in seeing how much Naruto had grown under Jiraiya's tutelage.

Asuma slumped over the rail beside her. In a low voice, he muttered, "Two squads of ANBU for this whole place. Makes me wonder where the rest are."

"Hokage-sama must expect something to happen," Kurenai said quietly.

Her companion grunted thoughtfully as he eyed the next match. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Kurenai remained silent. Naruto had once asked if she ever got tired of being right all the time. She'd laughed and told him that he merely hadn't been there when she had made the most, and worst mistakes. She'd chosen not to mention that sometimes, like now, a jounin's hunch was better off mistaken.

* * *

From the beginning, the bloodshot, almost hungry look in Gaara's eyes told Naruto that all he had to do was slip up once to go down. As he'd thought, Sabaku no Gaara was after him. But he'd be damned if he thought Uzumaki Naruto intended to stand still and tremble like forsaken prey.

None of his shadow clones got close to the red-headed boy. Vicious plumes of sand easily knocked them back, and Naruto winced as he reabsorbed memories of being speared. A wall of sand rose to block the shuriken he flung at his opponent. He was already moving before the barrier rippled and sent the sharp projectiles flinging outward with incredible speed. His remaining clones yelped as they were pierced.

Naruto ran in, just as a shapeless column of sand shot out at him. Dropping into a low crouch, he thrust a kunai upwards and rolled away as the sand collapsed to the ground. But when he tried to spring at Gaara, a tendril of sand snatched his ankle and slammed him back down. As Naruto watched, a bulbous head emerged from the shapeless mound of sand, followed by thick arms. The clone brought a large hand down on his head.

Naruto went under with a sickening crunch, holding the stadium in a sharp intake of breath.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The sand clone fell under the weight of a dozen shadow clones. One broke away to charge Gaara. Putting on a burst of speed, Naruto ducked under the sweeping sand and sprang up with an uppercut that sent the other boy staggering backwards.

Naruto cursed and shook out his bruised knuckles. It was like he had punched concrete. Gaara reeled back, a thin crack splitting across his chin. Naruto watched as a wisp of sand fused into the blemish and sealed it. His eyes narrowed. An armour?

Gaara held out a hand, fingers clenched like claws. "I'll kill you," he vowed breathlessly.

Sharp bullets of sand pelted Naruto. He quickly flattened himself to the ground. At such close range, it was all he could do to avoid getting perforated. His leg flicked out and swept Gaara's from under him. With a growl, Naruto came down on him, hammering as many punches as he could into the Sand nin's face before he sensed a wave of sand coming down behind him.

Flinging himself out of range, Naruto nimbly danced away from the pursuing sand claws, all the while drawing closer to Gaara. Even after days of practice, he was still surprised by the speed he'd built up from the weights that he had taken off for the event. He managed to evade most of the sand, splitting any in his path with a kunai, but when he drew up face to face with Gaara once more, Naruto thought he felt the sand hang back somewhat. Glancing up, he found Gaara looking directly at him.

Gaara bared his teeth. "_Come_."

Naruto straightened cautiously. "I'm not like you," he said, softly enough that he could just as easily be assuring himself. He looked into Gaara's eyes, wondering what he could find in those orbs. "I'm not like you," Naruto repeated.

Gaara stared fixatedly at him. "Really?" he asked in an eerily calm voice. Naruto tensed when he flung an arm wide, but all he did was gesture to the crowd in the stands. "All these people don't hate you then?"

"Not all of them," Naruto said after a pause.

"Really?" Gaara raised a hand to his face, touching the red tattoo inked on his forehead. Then he smiled, cold and sadistically. "They didn't run from you? They didn't try to kill you? They didn't try to deny your existence?"

Naruto frowned.

"Well?_"_ Gaara's voice had risen into a guttural growl, and he suddenly staggered backwards as if hit. He clutched his head, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

The ghastly aura that emanated from his opponent set Naruto on edge. Still, he watched Sabaku no Gaara as the realisation hit him – not much separated them, but what did was important enough that Naruto had become who he was. If he'd never experienced it, he could all too easily have been staring at a reflection of himself. It was the first time he'd been able to fully comprehend the undeniable fact.

It was so simple that it frightened him.

Naruto's fist clenched so tightly it hurt. They'd both grown up standing alone, hadn't they? They had been left out of games, sat hollowly in empty rooms with their shadows and been treated like a plague. No one had seen them as the children they were. Naruto lowered his head. There was someone just like him – probably more out there. If he could understand how Gaara of the Desert felt, then surely Gaara did too. He wasn't the only one.

Then why did it make him feel so… sad?

He launched himself at Gaara with a hoarse cry. The sand rose, but Naruto had taken him by surprise and managed to seize him by the shirt. Then suddenly, he stopped, gripping the rough fabric with enough strength to make his arm tremble.

The crowd leaned forward, murmuring. What was going on?

"I get it now," Naruto said with a grimace. "I'm not like you – but you're the same as I once was."

The ground rumbled. Four slabs of condensed sand rose, cutting between the two boys. Naruto stepped backwards as they began to enclose him. "'Was'?" Gaara questioned flatly.

Naruto's gut twisted as he looked back at the stands, where he knew Kurenai was watching with the other jounins, then at the opposite end where he'd heard Sakura threatening him with the same decapitating vow she'd called to Kiba earlier. He almost felt guilty for a moment, like he'd been granted something that never should have been. But Team Eight was something so wholly his that he could never wish otherwise.

"Was," Naruto repeated firmly.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. Sand filled Naruto's vision, shooting high above his head. Despite the blockade, he heard his opponent's reply too clearly: "Uzumaki Naruto. You are weak."

Standing in the cold darkness of his prison's shadow, Naruto felt he ought to be offended. Instead, though, some sort of guilty gratitude settled at the bottom of his stomach, warm yet heavy. As he pulled his hands together in a familiar handseal, he decided he was going to thank Old Man Hokage and Iruka-sensei after this, for being there when no one else had.

"Sabaku-"

"_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

The sand burst into a rain of millions of grains as a chorus of yells rang out. Gaara threw up a hand reflexively even as his sand halted inches from his body. Something slammed into the back of his shoulder, sending him spinning around to fall into a waiting fist that snapped his head back with relentless force.

Staggering backwards, Gaara blindly flung both arms out. A vortex of sand churned around him, whipping up a storm that took a full minute to settle. When it cleared, Gaara was standing alone in the centre of the stadium. He touched his cheek, feeling his armour flake away. Narrowing his eyes, he looked up.

Uzumaki Naruto was everywhere. In the trees, crouched on the ground, facing him from every direction. Gaara spun around. His eyes knifed up to the stands and the hundreds of spectators that filled it. Thousands of pairs of eyes were trained on him. He could almost feel them – their deep gazes digging into his skin, the murmur of whispers.

He clenched his jaw. "Mother, they're watching us," he muttered.

_We'll kill them all. We'll kill them slowly, one by one._

That sounded very good. His blood bubbled with rising adrenaline. Gaara lurched forward, hand flying to his pulsing head. Panting haggardly, he grinned slowly. "That one first, Mother?"

His armour crumpled away from his skin. The remaining sand slithered back to him, forming a ring around his feet.

_Yes… his blood smells good._

* * *

A shudder crept through Naruto's body moments before he felt an abrupt jolt in his navel. His eyes widened as a pungent mist of red, acrid chakra simmered in his coils. Closing his eyes to calm his mind, he managed to suppress it easily, but the fact that Kyuubi had stirred at all perturbed him. There was only one possible cause for the beast's arousal, and it stood holding his head as tendrils of sand coiled around his body.

Naruto didn't like the heavy, foreboding atmosphere radiating from Gaara. Neither did his clones, enough that they charged as one with a loud yell even as the sand around Gaara began to enclose him in a large sphere. Putting on simultaneous bursts of speed, they raced for the rapidly diminishing openings.

The blonde-haired genins leapt for their target. Moments before impact, the sphere ruptured into deadly spikes, leaving strangled cries of surprise, billowing smoke and the distinctive pops of dispelled clones in its wake.

Naruto winced as he withdrew his bruised fist. By instinctive reflex and sheer luck, he had only been sheared shallowly in the shoulder and ankles by the sandy thorns. He was the only one standing within a two metre radius of the cocoon. Quickly leaping back to rejoin the clones that had hung back and survived, Naruto shook out his bleeding knuckles and took stock of the situation.

From the sharp pain in his hand, and the flood of memories from the defeated clones, the strange sphere was obviously a powerful defence jutsu. It was nothing like the sand armour. His hand trembled slightly with aftershock. Prior to this match, Naruto would never have fathomed that sand could be _that_ hard.

A small amount of sand extracted itself from the top of the cocoon. Naruto watched with vague fascination as it took the form of an eye. It hovered above the sphere and swivelled idly on the spot. A defence with no openings.

_Think_, Naruto urged himself, and it suddenly occurred to him that this was how Kiba must have felt fighting Shino. He chuckled to himself. Kurenai-sensei never failed to point out that the two boys were too brash for their own good. Naruto could almost hear his mentor's wryly amused voice in his head now, as if he were sitting cross-legged on the grass with his teammates on either side of him: _Think like Sakura._

Naruto took a deep breath to still his nerves. Then he studied the cocoon again, through what he hoped were new, thoughtful eyes. His opponent had withdrawn himself into a defensive position – possibly his strongest. At the moment, the large sphere showed no signs of movement and Naruto felt it was safe to rule out the possibility that Gaara intended to prey on his patience to draw him close and impale him – surely no shinobi was _that_ dense. In other words, Gaara was biding his time inside the cocoon. He was preparing.

For what?

Naruto suppressed another sharp pull on his seal with a grim expression. He didn't like this any more than the hostile, alien eye one of his clones had glimpsed moments before the cocoon sealed shut. He cursed under his breath. He had the feeling the match was quickly spiralling away from its purpose, that like he'd sensed in the Forest of Death, Gaara cared nothing about the Chuunin Exams.

As the terrible aura shrouding Gaara's defence thickened, Naruto lowered himself into a coiled crouch, ready to sprint. A quick glance told him that the proctor was wary of Gaara's jutsu, but in front of the Kazekage, no one would be able to officially interfere on the grounds of suspicion. Turning back to his opponent, Naruto wondered if it wouldn't be long before his personal safety was no longer the only thing at risk.

He wasn't going to let that happen.

A murmur travelled through the spectators as the small battalion of blonde-haired genins blurred into motion. Lunging with surprising speed, several clones managed to strike the unmovable sphere of sand with kunai. The blades glanced off the dense hull with hardly more than a dull clang, and fell to the ground as jagged spikes shot out to skewer their wielders.

The crowd chuckled in exasperation as a second wave of Narutos ran in only to meet the same fate. It seemed the blonde genin's riveting upper hand in the first half of the match had been a fluke. The villagers began to shake their heads for having expected anything less from the village pariah; this was Naruto, the troublemaker infamously stubborn for the wrong causes and reasons.

Yet sighs of disappointment were among the stands. Naruto's opponent wasn't a favourite for reasons beyond the rumours that the short redhead was the Kazekage's youngest son, and that he was anything but a regular genin. Even children could feel the hostile intent Sabaku no Gaara emitted. Unbeknownst to the villagers, they reluctantly feared for Naruto in their subconsciousness, and those that were parents thought of their children and were grateful that Uzumaki Naruto had none to anxiously grip their seats and watch as their son fought a losing battle against an opponent out for blood.

When the last of the shadow clones vaporised in defeat, the stadium went still. There was no movement on the battlefield, no sign of either competitor. The civilians looked around in confusion.

The shinobi spectators knew to look upwards. They squinted against the sun until their eyes widened at the recognition of a jutsu they had never thought they would witness in battle again – and in the Chuunin Exam finale, of all places. The rest of the audience eventually noticed the falling body as the distant howling of wind ripping through a maelstrom of chakra picked up – and as soon as they did, their attention was immediately diverted back to the ground as a chain reaction of explosions rocked the Sand nin's cocoon and swathed the field in drifting debris.

Few eyes witnessed the sight of Uzumaki Naruto dropping from the sky like a fiery comet – but everyone heard his loud yell and the thunderous crash that followed.

"RASENGAN!"

* * *

When Gaara abruptly went suspiciously still after being overwhelmed by Naruto's Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu, Sakura heard a sharp intake of breath and looked down to see Ino's fingers gripping her wrist.

"It's the same," the blonde girl muttered, in a detached voice that made Sakura wonder if her friend was even aware that she was squeezing her arm so tightly it was going numb.

"What is?" Sakura asked. Her initial impatience vaporised when she saw Ino's expression – an unusual mixture of fear, recognition and – from the looks of it – unconscious empathy. It was enough for Sakura to give her companion her full attention. "Ino?" she pressed. When the other girl didn't respond, Sakura shook her shoulder. "Ino!"

Jolted from her daze, Ino turned to her with wide, blank eyes. She opened her mouth only to close it again. Sakura almost prompted her but stopped when she realised that Ino was not wholly there. A thread of uneasiness wormed into Sakura's mind as she recognised the state Ino had been in following her preliminary match. Once she realised this, Sakura for some reason began to dread the words Ino struggled to get out.

"It's the same as…" Her voice trailed off as she stared transfixed at the place Gaara had stood before being enveloped by sand. Sakura winced as Ino's nails dug into her skin. Without looking away, Ino whispered, "He's trying to kill Naruto."

Sakura froze. For a long moment she stared uncomprehendingly at Ino, and then uncertainly looked down at the small war raging between hundreds of Naruto clones and the unmovable sand shield. Her mind scrambled to reconcile the notion of suggesting that Ino needed some rest, with the rising trepidation she felt for her teammate.

That was why she failed to notice Naruto's diversion for what it was.

Like a spell, Sakura's mind instantly quietened when she belatedly sensed the rapidly rising chakra presence below her. No sooner had she instinctively stepped away from the edge of the balcony did a navy and maroon blur shoot over her face.

On either side of her, Hinata squeaked and Ino jerked back to her usual self with a surprised curse. Both of them stumbled away from the rail. But Sakura only blinked with wide eyes as the potent whirl of chakra in Naruto's hand passed by her face, pushing her hair from her face.

In the midst of the commotion of the battle, few spectators had noticed a pair of Narutos scaling the perimeter wall at breakneck speed. As they reached the top, the uppermost one suddenly turned around to seize the second by the arm. With a loud grunt, he spun with the momentum of both bodies and hurtled his partner into the air, high above the heads of the unsuspecting audience.

Shaking herself out, Sakura leaned over the rail in time to see the clone fall back to earth. Their eyes met and they exchange surprised looks for a moment. Then the whiskered face split in a familiar grin, just before the clone fell into the bushes and dissipated.

As if on cue, a thunderous explosion swallowed Gaara's sand sphere in embers of flame and smog. Some members of the audience stood to better view the spectacle, murmuring surprise to their neighbours. Behind Sakura, the Inuzuka started nodding with approval.

"N-Naruto-kun planted explosive tags all around the armour," Hinata said. Sakura glanced at her, surprised to hear the excitement and admiration in the dark-haired girl's voice. But she would be lying if she said she didn't feel the same.

The shadow clones' futile ground assault had been much more than simple diversion. Naruto had thought ahead. With a strangely warm sensation in her chest, Sakura realised that Naruto had grown from the immature loudmouth she had once shaken off like the plague. She had known this all along, yet for some reason the reality that she hadn't truly _noticed_ did not strike her until today.

Seeing the brightly glowing orb in Naruto's hand as he plummeted towards earth brought a small sense of satisfaction to Sakura. The Rasengan that they had both solved together reminded her that she was a part of her teammate's growth. It was so profound that she wondered how Kurenai-sensei, as their mentor, felt.

Naruto fell into the billowing smoke. The force of gravity behind him ensured that the collision between the Rasengan and the thick sand armour was a deafening one. A rush of chakra forced the smog outward. The crowd leaned forward to peer in as one as it cleared.

Naruto was suspended above the cocoon by the Rasengan that fiercely ground into its hull with sharp crackling sounds. The sphere was dented at the point of impact.

"Will it hold?" Ino asked, awestruck.

"I don't know," Sakura replied in a similar tone without looking away.

The sand began to give slightly, but still stood strong. Not for the first time, a hush of anticipation silenced the spectator stands. So when Naruto suddenly growled and shouted, "Come _on!_" the two syllables echoed into the crisp morning air and hung there until Sakura, sharing looks with Ino and Hinata, couldn't help but break into stifled laughter.

And just like that, a hollow crack snapped through the silence like a broken cord as the impenetrable defence crumpled inwards.

A sinister chakra leaked from the cracked shell.

The silence hovered, unbroken, as spectators in the stands began to keel over in deep slumber.

* * *

Kurenai and Asuma were halfway across the arena even before the genjutsu had settled. The stands, thick with unconscious civilians, were still only for a breath – before the Kage's balcony erupted in smoke and pandemonium broke out.

Leaf nin and grey-garbed enemy shinobi leapt from their seats to meet each other over the heads of slumbering spectators. The first foe Kurenai whirled around to impale with two senbon in the neck stopped in his tracks to choke and grapple at his blood before slowly pitching forward. It was more than enough time for her to narrow her eyes at the man's hitai-ate.

"Sound," she murmured.

Asuma glanced down at the arena. "And Sand, from the looks of it."

Kurenai followed his gaze. She recognised the genin team from Suna on the ground, their jounin instructor facing Genma. Naruto stood bewildered as he struggled to make sense of the chaos raging around him. Kurenai was about to call down to him when a familiar presence brushed unnecessarily close to her on its way to Shunshin down to the arena. Blinking, she drew her mouth in a grim smile and raced ahead of Asuma.

With the unknown genjutsu leaving the seats motionless and the Inuzuka aisle empty, it was easy to spot Sakura as she backed into the railing, a kunai extended uncertainly in front of her. Behind her, Hyuuga Hinata held up an unconscious Yamanaka Ino. Both girls stared at the Sound nin rushing over the vacant seats with a predator's gleam in his hooded eyes. As Hinata, still shaken, activated her Byakugan, she became aware of the second adversary approaching from the side too late to warn Sakura.

Emerald eyes widened when the pink-haired girl felt a hand on her shoulder. The whispered "Don't move, Sakura," was all the warning the genin had to spread into a defensive, sturdy stance as Kurenai, using her student as leverage, pivoted to slam the back of her heel into the first Sound nin's temple and sent him reeling into his comrade. The two men crashed into the rail in a boneless heap. Sakura instinctively turned away even as Kurenai placed herself in her line of vision, and sank two kunai through the Oto forehead protectors.

"What's happening, Sensei?" she asked shakily when the jounin turned to her.

"Sand and Sound are attacking us," Kurenai replied after a distracted pause, during which she looked over Sakura's head to narrow her eyes at an approaching Sand shinobi. The man faltered, confused, before suddenly throwing himself over the rail. He didn't even yell.

When she noticed the anxious look Sakura and Hinata traded, Kurenai remembered that they were still genin and, trusting her back to Gai and Kakashi, smiled reassuringly at them. "Don't panic. Konoha is well prepared for an attack. Both of you are capable kunoichi."

Sakura caught the hint almost immediately. Kurenai watched approvingly as her student took a deep breath to clear her mind. "What can we do?" she asked finally. The anxiety still made her voice sound thin, but the resolution in her eyes was all Kurenai had to see.

She looked at Hinata, distantly noticing that the girl recognised her. "You did well dispelling the genjutsu," Kurenai praised lightly. "Wake Yamanaka-san. Then I would like the two of you to assist in the evacuation process. Can you do that?"

Hinata's pupil-less eyes widened. "H-Hai!"

Kurenai nodded and glanced back to check on Naruto, only to find the arena empty but for two combating jounin. Pausing for a moment, she located the blonde boy vaulting over the rail across the stadium. He looked around for a moment before spotting his teacher watching him, and hastily began to make his way through the battles flickering around him. Turning away, Kurenai met Kakashi's eye as he too noticed the missing Sand genin team.

"Sakura," Kurenai said. "I want you to go to the infirmary and, if they are fit, bring Kiba and Akamaru here. We will need them to track Sabaku no Gaara and his team."

Sakura opened her mouth, but ultimately closed it without a word. In such a crisis, it was no time for a jounin like Kurenai to be occupied with a genin's curiosity. Sakura was still a shinobi receiving orders from her superior. So she nodded, forced down her confusion and fear, and made for the stairs at the back of the stands.

Once Sakura and Hinata had safely disappeared from sight, Kurenai surveyed her surroundings. Kakashi and Gai were tearing through enemy ranks, the latter looking fiercely passionate with each victory. Kurenai chuckled under her breath.

She wasn't the only one who found the sight familiar. After decapitating another pair of Sound nin on the verge of overwhelming a Leaf chuunin, Kurenai straightened to find Asuma at her shoulder. "It's been a while since all of us fought together, huh?"

"Quite a relief," Kurenai remarked.

Asuma flung his chakra blades to the side so that blood flecked the seats. "We haven't had a good challenge in ages either."

Kurenai smiled. "Alright."

Then her hand flicked out with a kunai just as Asuma shifted his head slightly to allow the blade to whizz past his ear and thud into the forehead of the Sand shinobi coming up behind him.

"I'll let you have that one," he grunted.

But Kurenai was yet again already halfway across the stadium, leaving a trail of fallen Sand and Sound shinobi in her wake. Asuma chuckled, spat out his cigarette and took off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Naruto knew from the moment his Rasengan plowed into Gaara's left shoulder that something was wrong. His suspicions were chillingly confirmed when Gaara, after forcefully flinging himself away from the dangerous ball of chakra, raised a hand to his wound and stared bug-eyed at the crimson tipping his fingers. Then he screamed.

The next thing Naruto was aware of was blinking to find Gaara's siblings supporting him on both sides, and their tall jounin instructor scolding the red-headed boy. He saw this all from behind the exam proctor's broad back.

"Oi, what… what's going on?" Naruto demanded.

"Report to your sensei," the man answered without looking away. His fair brown eyes were hard. "The Chuunin Exam is over."

Naruto's mouth fell open. He was about to protest when movement caught the corner of his eye. A large bearded man had appeared beside Genma, but what captured Naruto's attention were the smoke-filled Kage box and the large purple barrier that had formed at the roof of one of the towers. His stomach lurched involuntarily as he thought of Sandaime. Clenching his fist, Naruto's eyes shifted back to the Suna ninja. Gaara was holding his head like it would split.

"I don't think he can use _it_ anymore," Temari told her teacher urgently.

The man bit out a curse. "Damn it, Gaara… Abort the mission. Take him and retreat. I'll handle things here."

Hesitantly, Kankurou slung his brother over his shoulder. With a brief flare of chakra, he and Temari leapt over the stadium walls. Naruto automatically took a step forward, only to find a large, rough hand clamping his shoulder. Looking up, he saw the bearded man watching the Sand jounin steadily. "This isn't your fight, kid," he said gruffly.

Naruto faltered. "Who are you?" he asked.

At that moment, the exam proctor recognised the other man. "Taichou!" he said in a surprised voice lined with respect.

The man let out a coarse, humourless laugh. "I'm not your captain anymore, Genma. Right now, I'm just an old man looking to play with fire." He finally glanced at Naruto. His eyes were grey and sharp as a veteran's. "Go, boy."

Something told Naruto not to argue with this man. He spun and ran to the edges of the stadium. As he leapt onto the walls for the second time that day, he glanced back at the tense scene.

Baki studied the man standing before him. Despite the civilian garb, the newcomer was releasing dangerous spikes of chakra that belied the wooden stub that took the place of his right leg.

"I'll give you thirty seconds, stranger," the man said in a low, grim voice. "I don't care who you are. You'll need a prayer if you're the one who killed my sister's fiancé."

Naruto pulled himself over the railings – and immediately flattened himself as an ANBU member leapt over his head. What in the world was going on? Disorientated, he cast around. He was relieved to catch sight of Kurenai-sensei. She was looking for him. Picking himself up, Naruto hurriedly picked his way through the stands.

As he neared his teacher, he caught a flash of pink hair. "Sakura-chan!"

It took a moment for Sakura to backtrack from the stairs she had hurriedly thrown herself down. Her expression cleared when she saw her teammate. "Naru-" She broke off to grab him by the jacket and yank him to the ground. They winced as Gai plowed into a Sand ninja above their heads, smashing him through the wall with a sickening crunch. "We're being attacked," Sakura explained needlessly.

"By who? Why?" Naruto asked immediately in a rush, and his teammate sighed as she wondered if he truly thought she had all the answers.

"Sand and Sound. I'm not sure why. Ask Kurenai-sensei – actually don't, she looks busy."

The two genin looked over their shoulders to see Kurenai binding three assailants in a genjutsu while flickering behind a fourth to dislocate his shoulder. They had never seen their teacher in true combat before, and marvelled at the ruthless efficiency of a jounin.

Naruto looked back at Sakura. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Sensei told me to find Kiba. You should stay here and make sure everyone is okay," she added when her teammate opened his mouth. "I'm sure I wasn't the only genin who dispelled that genjutsu."

Naruto reluctantly nodded. "Be quick."

She punched him lightly. "You just want to go after Gaara and finish fighting him, don't you?"

He didn't try to correct her, because there was no way he could make Sakura understand that Gaara was even more dangerous than she'd thought he was, that only another jinchuuriki could want to pursue him for reasons other than to defeat him. Instead, Naruto grinned back, the wide smile easily masking his thoughts. "Aww, you know me so well, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sent him off with another half-hearted smack on the head. She watched as Naruto crouched behind some seats, drawing a kunai. He was a lot calmer than she'd thought he would be. She was impressed that he had managed to injure Gaara without being severely wounded himself – but Sakura decided that she would keep it to herself. It would take days for Naruto to get over the compliment.

The sounds of battle dulled to mere echoes as Sakura descended into the corridors below the stands. Thankfully, they were empty. Even more thankfully, Sakura discovered a directory plastered on the wall that mapped the temporarily facilities converted for the Chuunin Exam. Sakura quickly memorised the directions to the infirmary, and set off a quick jog. Being alone under such dire circumstances could make anybody nervous.

Sakura wondered if her parents were safely evacuated. She squeezed her hands into tight fists when she realised that her village, her _home_, was under attack. There had never been a time where Haruno Sakura had felt such a strong awareness of her status as a kunoichi. For shinobi, their village was a fort that had nursed and protected them as children, and which they were obligated to return the favour to. As a rumbling quake shook the earth, Sakura broke into a sprint.

The lights overhead flickered. Sakura glanced up warily as debris drifted down. Slight movement in her peripheral vision immediately pulled her gaze back down.

A cloaked man was walking down the corridor she had just passed. A civilian who had lost their way? Sakura ran up to him, calling, "Excuse me! It's not safe here. I think you should… go…" Her voice trailed off when the man stopped walking. For several seconds, he didn't move. Later, if Sakura had to pinpoint exactly when she had sensed something amiss, she would come back to this moment. The eerie silence made her grimace. "Umm… excuse me?"

He turned his head slightly. It was enough for Sakura to see the pale white mask, partially obscured by his hood. She unconsciously took a step back. "ANBU-san? Why are you… we're being attacked."

Sakura swallowed when he chuckled quietly. "I know." His voice was smooth and quietly polite. For some reason, it made Sakura's brow furrow. There was something familiar about this person… yet she was not acquainted with anyone from ANBU Black Ops.

"A genin like you should stay somewhere safe," he added.

"What about you?" She faltered when dark eyes regarded her. "Shouldn't you be…" _Fighting? Protecting the village?_ Sakura didn't know how to say it without sounding rude.

He waited for her to finish. The sharp clash of kunai echoed down the hollow corridor. Sakura caught a whiff of smoke in the air. Yet the ANBU operative stood there, calmly watching her. Sakura's hand twitched and unconsciously neared her weapons pouch.

In the next instant, Sakura's breath left her in a gasp as she was twisted and slammed into the wall. "You're sharper than I thought," a vaguely amused voice said in her ear. "Haruno Sakura-chan."

The brick was cold against her cheek, her shoulder burning as her arm was wrenched behind her back. "Who are you?" Sakura asked breathlessly, even as her blood raced. "Are you the one who cast the genjutsu?"

A surprised whistle. "I'm impressed."

Sakura pushed off the leg she had levered against the wall. She spun to face her foe, the jade rings in her hair cracking into the porcelain mask the same way it had Sasuke's face, all those weeks ago. Adrenaline pumping, Sakura seized the hand gripping her left, fisted her right on the tan cloak, and threw the man over her shoulder.

Breathing hard, she whirled around, expecting to see him on the floor. Her eyes widened, but not from the sight of an empty corridor.

Slowly, Sakura looked down at the senbon protruding from her chest. It had pierced her through the back of her right shoulder. The silver needle was clean of blood, and Sakura felt no pain other than the tingle of encroaching numbness near the wound. It was the first time she had been poisoned, but Sakura knew it instantly.

"This one is a prototype strain," a voice from behind informed her. "I'd like to stay and see how quickly it circulates, but I'm afraid I can't."

Sakura bit her lip as she pulled the senbon out. It left a nasty, fiery sensation on her skin. She flung it in the direction of the voice, but didn't need the distant clatter of it hitting the floor to know the man had evaded. Sakura looked over her shoulder. The mask had splintered. She watched as her foe raised a hand to remove it.

Sakura didn't gasp. In fact, she hardly reacted. It wasn't that she wasn't surprised; her body was beginning to feel sluggish and did not move the way she urged it to. She tried not to show it. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. A pause, in which her breath was loud in her own ears. "Were you even with Konoha to begin with?"

Yakushi Kabuto chuckled. "I wonder," he mused. He smiled at the girl standing before him, noticing the way she struggled to focus on him. "I'm sorry. Usually I would have let you go but you don't seem like you would let me walk away." He pushed his glasses up his nose with a finger as he turned away. "I underestimated you."

"Wait-" Sakura fingers brushed a kunai in her pouch, but her vision swam and sent her reeling into the wall. She clutched at it with gritted teeth, not expecting the effects to surface so quickly, and in such intensity. Kabuto would probably be pleased. But when Sakura lifted her head, he was gone.

She slid down to the floor as her knees buckled. Sakura closed her eyes and let her head fall back to the wall. She twitched her fingers and tried to form a fist. She knew it was a matter of minutes before she lost sensation in her entire body.

Sakura sat there for a few precious seconds, listening to her quick, laboured breaths. She felt amazingly calm despite her predicament. She wondered how long it would be before Naruto or Kurenai noticed her absence and came looking for her. And what about Kiba? Sakura was supposed to bring him. They were supposed to pursue Gaara. She wasn't supposed to be sitting here with her mind dancing the fine line between subconsciousness and pitch blackness.

_Don't,_ she thought when darkness encroached on her vision. She tried to narrow her eyes and somehow managed to clench her senseless fingers into a fist. _Don't…_

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

Naruto turned to see Kiba emerging from the staircase beside him, Akamaru on his head. The Inuzuka stared wide-eyed at the chaos, his eyes landing on a motionless Sand shinobi lying face down in a pool of crimson. He eventually looked at Naruto. "What-"

The other boy pulled him down into a crouch. "Stay down!" Naruto peered over the back of the seats. Enemy numbers in the stadium had fallen, but now smoke was rising from the village centre. The giant snake he had glimpsed in the distance worried him.

Kiba joined him in surveying the scene. He couldn't see any Inuzuka clansmen anywhere. "We're under attack?" Naruto, distracted, nodded. "Why are we hiding here then? We should go out and fight!"

An unimpressed snort sounded from Naruto's other side. Kiba looked over his teammate's head. "And why are _you_ here?"

Instead of returning Kiba's miffed look, Sasuke shot Naruto a glare of irritation. "Ask dead last."

"Quit calling me that," Naruto scowled. He glanced sheepishly at Kiba. "I dragged him. Sakura told me to look for more of us. Bastard here was the only one I could find. Everyone else is evacuating people, I think." Then he blinked and checked behind them. "Kiba, where's Sakura?"

"Sakura?" Kiba repeated blankly.

Before Naruto could say more, Kurenai had appeared beside them. She hadn't even studied Kiba and Akamaru properly when Naruto suddenly turned to her. "Kurenai-sensei, Sakura-chan isn't here."

Kurenai's brow creased. "Didn't she bring you here, Kiba?"

Slowly, Kiba shook his head. "I didn't see her at all. Shino and I heard these loud sounds in the infirmary so I said I would see what was going on. Then I come out and see – this." When Kurenai's frown deepened, Kiba realised why she was concerned. His expression became serious. "Me and Akamaru will look for her – maybe she got lost."

"I'll come with you," Naruto said quickly.

Kurenai nodded unthinkingly before the weight of the situation returned to her. "Wait." Both boys stopped at her voice. She looked at Kiba. "Can you catch Sakura's scent?"

Kiba raised his nose and sniffed. Then he looked at Akamaru. The puppy whined. "No, there's too much smoke… and blood." He shook his head. "We'll be quick, Sensei. She should be close."

"What about Sabaku no Gaara?" the jounin asked.

Looking confused, Kiba replied, "The same."

"What if you knew which direction he went?"

"Akamaru can probably pick up the scent then." Kiba hesitated, sharing a glance with Naruto. "Sensei?"

Kurenai understood the uncertainty in Kiba's voice and the low whine from Akamaru. She closed her eyes for a brief moment to think. As a child, her late father had taught her that in every situation, there was an objective and subjective answer. Kurenai had always been well aware that shinobi were often required to prioritise the former over the latter. It was logical and it was something Yuuhi Kurenai had had little difficulty doing throughout her career.

Yet she chose not to look at her students as she said, "Naruto, Kiba and Sasuke, I am going to assign you a mission. Pursue the Sand genins and apprehend them if possible. Keep a close eye on their actions."

"Sensei!" Naruto protested immediately. "Sakura-"

"Is not where she is supposed to be, and the village is under attack," Kurenai finished for him. She opened her eyes to meet his incredulous gaze. "I know, Naruto."

Naruto had angrily opened his mouth to argue until Kurenai's quiet voice cut through him. It was the first time he had felt such fury against his teacher and it burned unpleasantly – she had just made a decision he would never have believed of Kurenai-sensei. It was the silent concern in her tone that silenced him and made Naruto lower his head. He ground his teeth in frustration as Sakura's voice echoed in his mind. _Naruto said it himself… Kurenai-sensei would only want what's best for us._

"We can't leave Sabaku no Gaara unattended," Kurenai explained softly. "Kiba, Akamaru-"

"We're fine. The worst I have from the match is chakra exhaustion. I can take a soldier pill." As she'd thought, Kiba understood the ways of ninja better than Naruto. Only his clenched jaw betrayed how upset he was.

Kurenai put her hand on both boys' heads. "I will look for Sakura. Don't worry."

They nodded reluctantly. Naruto lifted a shoulder in a shrug that failed to be as dismissive as he tried. "Sakura-chan is okay. She's strong – I mean, she beats me up all the time and I'm the future Hokage."

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba dodged the elbow Naruto threw at his ribs.

Naruto gave a small grin. "She'll catch up."

Kurenai returned the smile, knowing it was part of her role as their mentor. Then she looked over at Sasuke, who had been watching silently. She hadn't expected that the Uchiha would be around for Naruto to discover him, but he was an asset. Kurenai had an unlikely yet competent four-man cell on her hands. "The targets were headed towards the forest outskirts. Be prepared for combat. This would rank as an A-class mission."

The three genin nodded.

"Go."

* * *

A/N: Yes, I was lazy and from chapter 15 set up the matches so that Naruto's followed Kiba's, leaving me less fight scenes to write. Which was a good thing, because Kiba's somehow ended up pages and pages long. Naruto's Rasengan against Gaara's shield was something I'd had in mind before, but was confirmed by coincidentally seeing it in one of the Naruto movies - the fourth one, I think? (edit: aha! I've been informed it was the third movie. Thanks Lobo Argost!)

Writing this chapter made it more painfully obvious how rusty I am. I write in such short bursts now - but I'm proud to say I wrote 3.5K today so I could post this chapter! Huzzah! And since it is 3 a.m, I shall now sleep...


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